Yugioh 5Ds: The Five Driven to Pursue the Future
by cypsiman2
Summary: A Rewrite/Alternate Universe. A biker in the slums, the King of Riding Duels, a young woman with deadly power, and a pair of odd green haired twins. They must come together and combine their powers for the sake of their futures, but with the most powerful man in the city and and an underground cult leader both seeking to use them for their own purposes, can they find their way?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: **Well, I said I was going to re-write Yugioh 5D's, and the first of the new year seems like as good a time to make good on my word as any. This story will primarily draw upon the Fortune Cup arc, the first 26 episodes of the original series, with a few bits from the Dark Signer arc, but mostly original content. Unlike my GX rewrite, there will be no romantic pairings among the characters, whether heterosexual, homosexual or otherwise, nor will it be necessary to read those stories to understand this one. There will also be no 'Take-Thats" at the original series, as those only serve to expose my immaturity and weakness as a writer. Finally, I am going to try to get an average of a chapter a week out, but real life is bound to happen every now and then, so some chapters may be late. And of course, reviews are always welcome. That's enough out of me, onto the story.

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><p><strong>The Path Yusei Walks<strong>

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><p>Yusei Fudo was enveloped in soft, all-encompassing warmth from the tips of his spiky hair, the profile like a crab, to the ends of his feet clad in steel-tipped boots. It was nothing like the stifling heat of the summers in Satellite, nor the pounding rains that hammered down in the spring. The heaters used in the autumn, the blankets and comforters bundled up in winter could not compare to this sensation; it was utterly unlike anything he had ever known in his waking life in the slums of Satellite, and so he knew he was dreaming. It was one of two dreams that he'd known in eighteen years, and given the nature of the other, he was thankful that he was having this one. Still, the dream faded and gave way to reality, one where he was resting upon a hard cold cot in a dank room, buckets on the floor for when it rained. He looked over to the other side of the room and saw a man on the other cot, unconscious and in bad shape. Then Yusei heard heavy footfalls, ones he'd recognized from a very young age.<p>

"Yusei." Martha's weary voice preceded her as she entered the room, her apron as clean as she could manage. She looked down at the other man in disapproval.

"I'm sorry." He owed her so much, the woman who'd raised him since before he could remember.

"You have nothing to be sorry about." Martha turned her head to him, frown still present. "I'll manage something for this young man, I owe you that much Yusei." She focused her attention back on the young man, on the bandages around his waist that had been soaked through. As Martha changed those bandage and took out the last clean bandages she had left in the house, that was when Yusei remembered.

"Robert Axelrod." He muttered under his breath as he relived the encounter that led up to this moment.

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><p>"Yusei Fudo." The words were spoken in cruel humor by a brown haired man seated on the peak of a pile of trash, broken boxes and empty bottles. "This is what you're looking for, isn't it?" He held one arm at length, and dangling from his hand was a circuit. "The last bit you need for that D-Wheel of yours, and the only one you'll find in all the junkyards of the Satellite." The man stood up and jumped down, landing right in front of Yusei, sized him up. "You really think this will break you out of this hellhole?" The humor was gone.<p>

"What do you want?" Yusei had no time to waste with this man; whatever he wanted he would get, nothing else mattered in the face of what he had to do.

"To the point and not even the least bit interested in who I am; yeah, that's the Yusei Fudo I know, the one who didn't give a shit when his leader killed my little brother in cold blood."

"Rodney Axelrod." Yusei whispered the name, a flash of his former leader Kiryu with blood-soaked hands before his eyes.

"I'm Robert, and since you're the last one of your little gang left alive and well in Satellite, that means you're the one I'm taking my revenge on." It was then that Yusei noticed the far too small duel disc on his arm, one meant for a child years younger.

"I see." Yusei held no anger towards Robert, no frustration with him, only the grim resolution that his road went right through him. "Here?"

"No." Robert pointed to the west. "You haven't been subtle about your little quest, so I had time to set up a little arena just for you and me; I know the risks I'm taking here, but Rodney didn't die quick and easy, neither will you." His hand shook, and there were pock-marks on his veins.

"Fine." Yusei followed Robert, remembering more and more of that faithful day that cost him one of the few friends he ever had. It was one of the few days with fair weather he'd known, making it all the crueler in its timing. Kiryu had said he was just going on patrol, yet the way he carried himself, the hitch in his voice, it had given Yusei pause, and what he ended up seeing, what he was too late to stop, was even worse than he'd dared imagine.

"It took me months to find out the whole story, Yusei, to find someone who saw what happened and was willing to talk." Bitter venom dripped from each word he voiced. "Rodney, he was just going through the trash 'cause one of his friends told him that's where he could find an ultra-rare card, but as far as Kiryu was concerned Rodney was plotting against him, trying to overthrow 'Team Satisfaction'. A ten-year old kid, how goddamn paranoid do you have to be to be afraid of someone like that?" Yusei knew Robert was right, Kiryu had been afraid but it wasn't a child that him so scared; he was just a tragic scapegoat. "So he challenged him to a duel, right? He won of course, but he didn't take cards from him." No, he didn't; Kiryu had been so terrified that he lashed out against someone who had no power against him. "By the time I found my brother, it was too late to save him. And by the time I'd found out it was Kiryu who'd killed him, he'd already gotten himself killed trying to take on Security Forces." That day had also been a clear and sunny one, as though the heavens had refused to weep and wash away the blood of his crimes. "But now we're here, now something resembling justice will be had in this hellhole."

There was a raised metal platform at the far end of the junkyard, and on each end of the platform was a pair of shackles centered on a pair of foot-shaped slots. Upon climbing up onto it, Yusei could see the full horror of what Robert had in mind. "Do you really think this will work?" A pair of low set bars running from one end to the other on each side near the shackles, marked with life point totals to indicate the position of the chainsaws over the course of the duel.

"Would I have put in all this time and effort if I didn't? And remember…" He tightened his grip on the circuit.

"I will." Yusei stepped into the slots, causing the shackles to lock automatically around his feet. Robert did the same and then they both put on their Duel Discs and inserted their decks. The Duel Discs automatically shuffled their decks.

"Duel start." The moment both Duel Discs were armed the chainsaws activated, the shrill whir of the blades already maddening. "You go first Yusei." He could see it in his eyes, Robert wanted the first attack.

"I summon Shield Warrior in defense, and end my turn." A clear blue portal appeared before Yusei, and from out of it came a man with a spear in one hand and a long shield in the other. He crouched down, covering his body with the shield.

"Turn 2, 4000 life points left" Robert's duel disc called out.

"Defense? I thought you wanted this circuit Yusei, or do you think you can wait me out, exhaust my rage against you?" Robert drew his next card, a strange hitch in his motion. "If that's the case, you've made a serious mistake; I summon to the field, Infernity Knight!"

"What?" Yusei's eyes were drawn wide in shock as he watched the familiar monster take form, a knight in sleek armor wielding a sword shaped like a cleaver in one hand. "That's Kiryu's card." Yusei briefly saw the moment when Kiryu had first summoned that monster, when he and Jack and him were still friends, still certain that they could change life in the slums of the Satellite.

"Trust me Yusei, I'm no superstitious idiot, I just know that this is exactly the right deck to use against you, a vicious deck that'll give you no quarter." Yusei flinched inwardly; in all the times they'd dueled in the past, he'd had never won against Kiryu. "I now equip Infernity Knight with Cost of Slaughter, increasing his attack points by 600 when I attack a monster and allowing him to pierce defense." Blood dripped down from the Knight's blade as his gait became primal. "True, I'll have to discard a card when I attack, but you know what that means for this deck, don't you Yusei?"

"Zero hand." Nothing to hold, nothing to hide, giving everything you had on the edge, it mirrored Kiryu's philosophy on life too well. It was only near the end, when it was too late, that Yusei realized where that philosophy led. Robert ordered his monster's attack, the Infernity Knight's blade punching right through Shield Warrior and into Yusei himself. He flinched at the hyper-real sensation of the solid vision sword, and saw the chainsaw make its way towards him, stopping after completing one-tenth of its journey.

"400 points of damage for you, and three cards left in my hand." Robert grinned. "I set one of those cards and end my turn." Infernity Knight pulled his sword back out from Shield Warrior, causing the latter to vanish, and then returned to Robert's side of the field.

"Turn 3, 3600 life points left." Yusei's duel disc stated.

"You know Yusei, I didn't come up with this set-up all on my own; while piecing together Kiryu's old deck, I found an old article, written way before Zero Reverse; apparently the original Duel King got stuck in a duel a lot like this one in something called Battle City."

"Battle City." Yusei felt the words on his tongue, and found they worked too well in describing the state of Satellite.

"Of course, the big difference is that back they used keys for the winner to get out, but these locks are programmed not to release until the opponent's life points are at zero, his body shred into pieces. So come on Yusei, take your turn and bring yourself one step closer to the fate you deserve."

"That I deserve…" Yusei knew that the fate he deserved was not a bright and shining one, that when his time came it would not be a pleasant one. "Not yet." Even so, he still had things he had to do, a mission to fulfill, a path to follow for the sake of those he'd failed in the past. "I summon Bolt Hedgehog in defense, set one card, and end my turn." A large hedgehog with a dozen bolts sticking out of its back in the place of quills appeared before Yusei, crouched down low and defensive.

"Turn 4, 4000 life points left."

"Defense again?" Robert drew his next card. "I attack with Infernity Knight again, discarding a card for Cost of Slaughter's effect." Once more the bloody blade punched through Yusei's monster, but this time it went no further.

"I activate my trap card Defense Draw, reducing battle damage to zero and allowing me to draw one card."

"No matter how much time you spend dicking around Yusei, you can't delay the inevitable; bit by bit I'm going to break you down with this deck that Kiryu created, just the way he would have wanted it if he'd survived your betrayal."

"I did not betray him." Yusei's voice was absolute on this point.

"Right, of course you didn't." Robert grinned sarcastically. "That would mean that you'd ever been on his side in the first place, or anyone's side other than your own you selfish bastard. Now hurry up Yusei and get on the offensive."

"Turn 5, 3600 life points left."

"My turn." Selfish? Yusei had to admit, back in the days of Team Satisfaction he'd done what he'd done not for the greater good of Satellite, but to keep his friendship with Kiryu and Jack. Both now stood severed, one permanently, the other… "I summon Speed Warrior and activate its effect to double its attack power until the end of my turn." A man in an armored jumpsuit with a gasmask helmet and skates on the feet spun onto the field, building up momentum and power until he had enough to crash into Infernity Knight for four hundred points of damage. Now Robert's chainsaw was one step closer to killing him.

"About damn time Yusei, but then again, you knew this part was going to happen, right?" Robert discarded two cards in accordance with Infernity Knight's effect, special summoning it back to the field.

"I set two cards to end my turn." Robert was right, he did know; Yusei knew the ins and outs of Kiryu's deck, its strengths and weaknesses, weaknesses that only now would he be able to exploit.

"Turn 6, 3600 life points left."

"And now for mine." Robert drew his card and grinned. "I activate Infernity Demon's effect; if I draw this when I have no cards in my hand, I can show it to you to special summon it to the field. Then I use its other effect to add one Infernity Card from my deck to my hand." A baleful fire appeared next to Infernity Knight, and from that fire came an emaciated figure of a devil, horns and a shock of bright red hair. It pointed at Robert's deck, directing the fire to one card in particular. "And now I sacrifice my Infernity Knight to summon Infernity Destroyer." Infernity Knight vanished in a rainbow hued portal, giving way to a hulking monster with disproportionately large bony claws. "So long as I have no cards in my hand, when Destroyer destroys a monster in battle, you take sixteen hundred points of damage."

Infernity Destroyer advanced with speed unnatural to its size and build, but just as it was about to reach its target, a crude iron structure appeared to block its path.

"With Scrap Iron Scarecrow, I can negate one attack and then set it back on the field." But it was not to be; Infernity Destroyer merely sneered and the desperately cobbled together edifice fell apart.

"My trap card, Infernity Barrier; no cards in my hand, Infernity Monsters in attack, I get to negate and destroy your trap card." With nothing left to stop it, Infernity Destroyer brought its hands over its head and brought them down onto Speed Warrior's like a hammer. However, though the pain of the monster was clear and the chainsaw came 1400 points closer to taking Yusei's life, Speed Warrior did not perish.

"By removing Shield Warrior in my grave from play, I prevent the destruction of my monster in battle." For a moment, the spirit of Yusei's first monster could be seen, its soul severed in defense of its comrade.

"Huh, so that's what that monster of yours did; I suppose this is the payoff for being the quiet one of your sad, pathetic crew."

"You don't know as much as you think you do."

"What don't I know? Team Satisfaction was pathetic, a delusion of a bunch of dumb young punks who actually thought they could take on the world and win, and that's putting it generously. To put it realistically, Kiryu's bloodlust was exactly what he had in mind all along."

"No, he did want to change the world, that's why he…" Yusei cursed himself, in spite of his best efforts Robert had managed to pry something out of him after all.

"Why bother with the false martyr act Yusei? Everyone knows you betrayed Kiryu and struck a deal with Security to save your own hide, but they're not here to save you from this!" Infernity Demon channeled its fire into Speed Warrior, destroying it for 900 points of damage, and now Yusei could practically smell the oil of the chainsaw meant to end his life. "Go on Yusei, take your turn, but there's no way you'll be able to summon anything worthwhile with that piece-of-shit deck of yours to face down my Destroyer."

"Turn 7, 1300 life points left."

"My turn." Yusei drew his card. "There's more to my deck than just the cards in it."

"Preaching, or excusing your imminent cheating?"

"Neither; I summon Junk Synchron and activate its effect to special summon Speed Warrior from my grave in defense with its effect negated." A squat machine man in an orange mechanic's outfit emerged from the portal and swept his arm out, bringing back Speed Warrior. "Furthermore, since Junk Synchron is a Tuner Monster, I can activate Bolt Hedgehog's effect and special summon it back to the field."

"Tuner…you can't be serious!" This was the first time that shock had made itself known on Robert Axelrod's face.

"I tune the level three Junk Synchron to the level two Bolt Hedgehog." Junk Synchron revved the engine on its back, becoming three rings of energy around Bolt Hedgehog, who became a pair of brilliant shining stars. "The stars come together to call forth a new power! Become the path that lights the way! Synchro Summon!" A bright flash of light, and where Junk Synchron and Bolt Hedgehog once stood, a new monster appeared in blue armor, an oversized right gauntlet, and airplane wings on its shoulders. "Come, Junk Warrior!" Junk Warrior and Speed Warrior then shined with the same blue light. "When summoned to the field, Junk Warrior gains attack points equal to the total attack power of all the level two or lower monsters I control." Junk Warrior flew forth, spinning like a drill as it attacked Infernity Destroyer and bore through it for 900 points of damage. "And now I activate my trap card Guardian's Attack, and sacrifice one defense position monster I control," Speed Warrior vanished, "to let Junk Warrior attack another monster for half battle damage." Junk Warrior did as commanded, and now Robert was almost as near to death as Yusei was.

"Goddamn." Robert stared at the chainsaw so near his body. "You have Synchro Monsters; that was one hell of a sweet deal you must have struck with Security to get your hands on those." Yusei said nothing. "Makes sense though; no way in hell you could hope to chase after Jack in Neo Domino and dethrone him without them."

"…As I said before, you don't know as much as you think you do." It was everything Yusei could do to keep his fist from shaking. "I end my turn."

"Turn 8, 1650 life points left."

"Maybe." Robert drew his card. "But I do know enough to kill you." Black plumes of smoke appeared before him. "I activate ZERO-MAX; when I have no cards in my hand, I special summon an Infernity Monster from my grave and destroy all other monsters with lower attack power than it." A blood-thirsty roar tore through the air, the crimson abomination hunched over Junk Warrior, its face marked with disdain. "Since Infernity Killer has thirty-five hundred attack points…" It unleashed its breath weapon and obliterated Junk Warrior, leaving not even dust behind. "I can't attack on the turn that ZERO-MAX was activated, but I won't have to."

"During the end phase of a turn where you have no cards in your hand, the opponent takes 1000 points of damage." This was the monster that always decided their old duels; whenever Yusei had Kiryu backed into a corner, he would bring out Infernity Killer to finish it in his own favor.

"Yeah, I figured you knew about this monster. This should seem familiar too." Infernity Killer transposed its being around Yusei, permeating him with its suffering. The chainsaw was now a hand's length away from Yusei. "How do you like it now Yusei?" Robert seethed as he gave himself entirely to his fury. "How does it feel, knowing that no one's going to come and save your sorry ass? How does it feel to be completely helpless to save yourself?"

"Helpless…" A flash in his mind's eye, and Yusei found himself in a stormy day. He saw himself huddled over a body, a young boy with thick, curly red hair, soaked to the bone and choking on water not fit for rats. "No one to save him…" Yusei shuddered as his tears were washed away in the rain, the boy's small hands clutched around a small case, and in the distance somewhere was Jack, riding on the D-Wheel that Yusei had built. "That's why I can't die here."

"Huh?"

"Turn 9, 300 life points left."

"My turn." Yusei looked at the card he drew; it was as though Rally were there with him, helping him. "I summon One-Shot Rocket to the field." A red robot with a pair of giant rockets strapped to it appeared. "And since I just normal summoned a monster, I can special summon the monster I just drew, One-Shot Booster." A yellow robot with a pair of launch pads on either side appeared next to the first. "I tune the level two One-Shot Rocket to the level one One-Shot Booster." Stars and circles of energy spun about, clearing the path for a gleaming white robot with a pair of cannons. "This monster, the One-Shot Cannon, is why I can't lose."

"Really? With zero attack points?" Robert sneered.

"Yes." One-Shot Cannon prepared to fire. "Once per turn, I can destroy one monster on the field to deal damage equal to half that monster's attack power to the controlling player." One-Shot Cannon fired, disintegrating Infernity Killer and consuming Robert's body in light.

In that instant, just as Robert's life points approached zero, Yusei brought his hand down onto his deck to force surrender, dropping his own life points to zero. Yusei ran forward and slammed into Robert, knocking him down just as the chainsaw reached him. He screamed and passed out, his blood flowing freely. Yusei took him over his shoulder and ran as fast as he could, his subconscious guiding him to the one place where he could still find help. He reached his destination, slammed on the door, and then passed out in exhaustion.

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><p>Yusei watched as Robert stirred. He merely opened his eyes, the sweat on his brow merely one sign of the strain even that effort took. "You think I'm going to forgive you, just because you saved my life?"<p>

Yusei stood up. "I wouldn't deserve it even if you did." He made his way to the door, and stopped. "He wasn't really my little brother, but I still thought of him as one." He paused. "I had the chance to save him, but I failed." Yusei walked away with the circuit in hand, making his way to leave for good.

"Yusei." Martha's voice stopped him. "What do you plan to do when you reach Jack?"

Yusei glanced at the TV in the corner; Jack was on it, using a different D-Wheel from the one he'd stolen two years ago, when he stuck Rally in a death trap to force his hand. The volume was muted, but there was no doubt that the announcer was extolling the strength and virtue of the great King of Riding Duels.

"I will make him see what he's truly become." With that, Martha offered no further resistance, and Yusei left the home he grew up in, his path taking him far far away.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Road Jack Rides**

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><p>"Everybody listen!" The MC yelled into his mic, his voice reaching across the vast stadium from one end to the other. "Today the King of Riding Duels, Jack Atlas, faces his most tenacious opponent yet!" The man in question raced around the track in his custom D-Wheel, The Wheel of Fortune, skillfully maneuvering around all pitfalls and obstacles. "First he challenged the King with his Burning Skulls, which the King reduced to ash!" The crowd cheered as footage from that duel was replayed, focusing on the King's final, victorious turn. "The challenger's spirit remained strong, and he returned with the fury of the animal kingdom's apes, but taming them was no challenge for our King!" Footage of that duel's decisive finish was met with even louder cheers. "No one has ever returned to face the King after being defeated once, much less twice! Could this be the day of victory for the challenger to the throne, the day of victory for…Mukuro Enjo!" In that moment his D-Wheel roared as it joined the King's side.<p>

"This is it Jack!" Mukuro shouted even louder than the MC, his voice high and fast. "I've learned from our last two duels, so there's no way you're going to win this time." He punctuated his declaration by activating the thrusters on his D-Wheel to cross a pit-trap that had appeared on the track in that moment.

"I can only hope that your confidence is warranted, fool!" Jack guided his D-Wheel onto an elevated ramp. "If you fail to provide a decent challenge again, you will suffer the King's wrath for wasting the people's time." He flew off the ramp and landed upon the walls without losing balance, returning to the track. "Now go fool, and take your turn."

"The real fool is the one who invites his own defeat." Mukuro activated the Duel Disc function of his D-Wheel and watched as it shuffled his deck automatically before spitting out the top five cards. "Draw!" He took his next card as he dashed between a pair of pillars. "I activate the spell card Replacement Parts."

"Aha, a machine deck then!" The MC excitedly cried out. "With Replacement Parts, Mukuro can discard a machine card from his hand to add a level four or lower machine monster from his deck to his hand, a guaranteed summon!"

"That's right, and after I summon Machina Soldier, I get to special summon Machina Peacekeeper from my hand." A muted-green robot with a blade projecting out its sleeve appeared, and alongside it came a squat red tricycle-bot.

"And that's not all everyone! Machina Peacekeeper is a Union Monster, so Mukuro can activate its effect and equip it to his Machina Soldier, letting it be destroyed in its place!" As the MC spoke, the Machina Peacekeeper reconfigured itself into armor for Machina Soldier's chest and arms.

"And don't think my hand is played out just yet!" Mukuro howled as he raced 'round the bend, passing Jack by. "I set one card, and activate two permanent spell cards to end my turn."

"Oh ho, quite the support Mukuro's built up for himself! With Machina Armored Unit, Mukuro can special summon new Machina monsters when his old ones are destroyed by battle, while Machine Assembly Line gives them 200 attack points and generates two Junk Counters every time a machine monster is destroyed. And there's no doubt in my mind that Mukuro's trap card is sure to be equally tenacious!"

"Turn 2, 4000 life points left." The mechanical voice of Jack's D-Wheel reverberated all around him.

"Well, you've definitely learned one thing since our last duel." Jack Atlas smoothly directed the Wheel of Fortune around all obstacles without any concern. "Someone of your meager level has to go all out to make a decent showing against me!" Jack drew his card and began his turn to thunderous applause. "I now activate Fusion Road, sending Power Breaker and Power Supplier in my hand to the grave to Fusion Summon Power King." A wizened old man and a grinning demon with flame red hair appeared side by side and were then consumed in a pool of energy that rocketed off around the track, and once it returned it released a hulking bearded man wielding a pair of spiked maces. "I'm sure you know exactly what this monster will do to you, fool." Power King rushed ahead of Machina Soldier, cutting it off.

"It's going to play right into my hand, that's what it's going to do; activate permanent trap card, Oiling Gears!" As Power King crushed the Peacekeeper 'armor' around Machina Soldier, a thick oily residue was left behind. "Whenever a Machine Monster gets sent to my grave, I add one junk counter to Oiling Gear, up to a limit of three, and keep in mind that Peacekeeper's effect lets me add a Union monster from my deck to my hand, so long as it isn't another Peacekeeper." Even as the 800 points of damage registered, Mukuro's duel disc automatically searched for and retrieved exactly the card he needed for his strategy. At the same time, Machine Assembly Line also generated its own Junk Counters, preparing for an imminent revival.

"Ha ha, its plain to see that Mukuro is building up to something but he'll have to be quick, for the King's Power King will continue to attack so long as there are monsters for it to attack!" Just as the MC said, Power King brought its other mace down onto the Machina Soldier, obliterating it for another 800 points. "And now comes the time for Mukuro's Machina Armored Unit to come into play, letting him bring a new monster to the field in defense, protecting him from yet more damage!" The Scrap Recycler that emerged from Mukuro's deck was contemptuously stepped on by Jack's monster, but before it expired it reached into Mukuro's deck and sent another Machine monster to his grave, fueling the Oiling Gears even further.

"You've been shuffling and searching through your deck quite a bit there; if that's all you planned on doing then you should have stuck to Solitaire." The crowd's laughter plainly burned in Mukuro's ears, bringing a smirk to Jack's face. "I set two cards and end my turn."

"Turn 3, 2400 life points left."

Mukuro's D-Wheel struggled to keep up with Jack's, the bulk of its powerful frame unable to maneuver as deftly as the King's Wheel of Fortune. "My turn, and this will be your last turn as King, Jack Atlas!" He drew his card, scarcely bothering to pay any attention to it. "First I activate the effect of my Machine Assembly Line, sending it to the grave along with the six Junk Counters on it to special summon the Level Six Machina Captain from my grave."

"Ho ho, so that's the monster that Scrap Recycler retrieved from his deck, is it?" The MC marveled at the decorated mechanical warrior, one which showed signs of wear and tear that came only with experience. "And with its effect to increase the attack power of all machine monsters that he controls by eight hundred points, Mukuro's arsenal is sure to be far more formidable than before!" By its own effect Machina Captain had 2400 attack points.

"You don't know the half of it you phallic haired loudmouth!" Mukuro ignored the MC's exasperated stammering amidst the crowd's laughter. "Because when I normal summon Machina Peacekeeper, I can add any Machina monster I want from my deck to my hand, so I choose the Level Eight Machina Cannon." His grave then began to glow. "Now I can fulfill the special summoning conditions of the Machina Fortress that I sent to the grave on the first turn by discarding Machina Cannon." A massive tank of a monster appeared on the field, the tremors it created forcing Jack's Wheel of Fortune to slow down. Machina Captain projected an energy field over both Gearframe and Fortress, increasing their attack power until Fortress reached 3300 attack points. "Now, I activate Gearframe's effect and equip it to Captain, making sure you can't destroy it." Gearframe underwent a reconfiguration similar to that of Peacekeeper's, save that its armor covered the legs and head in addition to the chest and arms.

"Are you sure you've got enough to take on my Power King and my face down cards?" Jack chuckled. "Why don't I simplify matters for you and activate my trap card, Nightmare Demons." Power King was consumed by blinding crimson energy, which then flew over to Mukuro's D-Wheel, becoming three vicious looking demons. "There, now you have three monsters with two thousand attack points and I only have one card left to protect me. Now are you confident enough to take me on?"

Mukuro's face became twisted with rage. "We'll see how long that smirk lasts in the face of my attack!" Machina Captain pulled out a pair of large rifles and opened fire upon Jack's D-Wheel , reducing him to 1600 life points in a single blow. Jack's smirk was unaffected. "And now to finish this with my full power!" Machina Fortress aimed its cannon, primed the charge…

"Trap card activate, Punish Arrogance; when I am attacked directly, all your monsters are switched to defense, their defense reduced to zero." All of Mukuro's monsters curled in on themselves, seeming small and weak somehow. "Perhaps now you'd like to look at that card in your hand?"

Mukuro growled as he glared at his card. "You deliberately let me get that first attack in, didn't you?"

"A one-sided duel would deny the crowd the excitement it desires!" The crowd cheered its loudest yet. "Now, I take it that card of yours is a monster card, yes?"

Mukuro raced silently, his breath steadying. "Yes, it is, but I've still got my Oiling Gears trap card, fully charged up; if you try to special summon a monster to your side of the field, I can send Oiling Gears to the grave and destroy it, so there's no way in hell you're getting that damn Red Demon's Dragon onto the field!"

"Turn 4, 1600 life points left."

"My turn." Jack declared with the utmost confidence. "By removing Fusion Road and Power King in my grave from play, I can draw two additional cards." He took them, just as he said. "And now I send your Oiling Gears trap card to the grave as the cost of special summoning my Trap Eater." A grotesquely ugly thing that was mostly mouth ate Oiling Gears as Mukuro watched, helpless to do anything about it. "Next, I summon Mad Demon from my hand." A monster with untamed wild red hair, a jaw for a stomach which held a skull within it, the Mad Demon truly lived up to its name. The crowd fell silent in an instant as they awaited the inevitable. "I tune my level four Trap Eater to my Level Four Mad Demon." Trap Eater became four rings of energy, Mad Demon four balls of light within those rings. "The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Demon's Dragon!" And indeed it was truly a monster of size and scale worthy of such a title. Its wing beats served to push Mukuro back, far behind Jack. "Attack Machina Captain."

Red Demon's Dragon hovered over Mukuro and his monsters, its right claw burning red. It grabbed Machina Captain up and tore away the Machina Gearframe armor that protected it. "Ladies and gentlemen, now that Red Demon's Dragon has attacked a defense position monster, its effect will activate!" The MC was especially excited to witness Mukuro's defeat, for entirely professional reasons of course. Red Demon's Dragon flew up and reared back, gathering its breath. It then breathed out a shower of fireballs to obliterate all of Mukuro's defense position monsters. "And with each Nightmare Demon that's destroyed, Mukuro will take eight hundred points of damage, which will bring him to exactly zero life points! The King of Riding Duels is victorious once again!" Once his life points hit zero, Mukuro's D-Wheel automatically began to slow down, bringing him to a stop as Jack continued to ride to thunderous applause and exclamations of love and admiration.

* * *

><p>Jack Atas entered his private locker room where his assistant Mikage Sagiri awaited him, her PDA in hand. "That was an exceptional duel, Jack." She was reviewing the recorded footage of the duel. "You did an excellent job of stringing him along, luring him into your trap before crushing him beneath your heel." Her voice was warm, strong. Before Jack could respond, another voice made itself known.<p>

"Yeah, you sure strung us all along, didn't you Jack?" Jack turned to see Mukuro Enjo standing in the entryway. "That was some duel; no one would ever suspect it was rigged." Mukuro spat disdainfully onto the floor. "I sure as hell didn't."

"Sir." Mikage stepped forward, interposing herself between Mukuro and Jack. "This is a restricted area. Remove yourself immediately." Her voice was cold, focused.

"Oh, is that how it is?" Mukuro spoke over Mikage's head, directly at Jack. "It's not just your own duels; you need your cronies to take care of your other battles too."

"I'd say that our battle ended back in the Dueling Arena, but…" Jack smiled cruelly, letting Mukuro come to his own conclusions.

"That is it you pampered ass!" Mukuro growled and charged intent on sweeping Mikage out of the way. As his outstretched arm came within reach of her, she brought her own around his and gripped tight. Betrayed by his momentum, Mukuro found himself easily flipped over and slammed against the ground, unable to stifle the pain. She then put her heel upon his chest and contacted Security on her PDA.

"There is a man here who attempted to attack the King of Riding Duels and as such needs re-education." With those words Mukuro forgot all about the physical pain he was suffering, replaced by a horror that reached far deeper.

"No, hold on, you don't need to go that far, we can make a deal!" A palpable sweat unlike any he'd ever felt before had built up on his brow.

"No, we really can't." Jack looked down at Mukuro, unfazed. "You made your choice, now you have to live with it." Four Security officers led by vice-director Jaeger, a short and slim built man with pointed ears and heavy makeup around his eyes, arrived. Mikage finally lifted her foot off of Mukuro's chest, allowing the officers to grab and cuff him. They dragged him away and he yelled furiously as they did.

"You rat bastards! You'll get yours one day, you can't stay on top forever! Fakes and cheaters, that's all you are…" Jack and Mikage heard nothing more.

Mikage bowed reproachfully to Jack. "Forgive me, he should never have made it so far."

"Mikage, you think so little of me." She stood up in shock, a faint blush on her face, bringing an honest smirk to Jack's face. "Relax, I've been able to take care of myself even before you were assigned to me, and faced far worse than the likes of him." Mikage nodded nervously, and Jack put his hands on her shoulders. "You need to learn from my example; if you take everything so seriously, you'll never survive."

"Yes, of course Jack."

"Mikage," Jaeger said in his high voice, "would you come with me and provide your testimony to Director Godwin?"

"Yes, of course Vice-director Jaeger. Please excuse me Jack, I'll be back at the manor as soon as I can manage." Jack nodded and watched her leave with the strange little man.

"…If she had any idea…" Jack remembered that day very well.

* * *

><p>"Jack, what's going on?" The rain was not yet a heavy one, but the wind was picking up, enough to disturb even Yusei's hair. His face was marked by fury, his eyes reflecting the image of Rally tied to a small rowboat, itself only tenuously tied to the docks.<p>

"It's very simple Yusei; we need to get out of Satellite before we die the way Kiryu did, and you're doing nothing towards that." Jack's face showed no emotion, he'd been preparing for this moment too long. "If you want to save Rally, you need to give up your D-Wheel and your Stardust Dragon. That way, I can escape and you have reason to follow. Understand?"

Yusei glared, but when the wind suddenly gusted in the opposite direction, he pulled out the Stardust Dragon from his deck and forced it into Jack's hand before diving into the water. After that, Jack jumped onto Yusei's D-Wheel and drove off, confident that everything would go exactly as planned.

* * *

><p>"It's been two years now Yusei." Jack mused to himself as he showered, hot water falling evenly over his body like rainwater. He cleaned himself with expensive soaps and soft-bristled long-handled brushes, lathering his hair with precisely chemically balanced shampoos and conditioners. He then entered the drying room, not unlike a sauna. "Is your new D-Wheel ready? I can't imagine why it wouldn't be." Jack rested on soft cotton towels, freely switching whenever one got even a little too moist. There were plenty to go around. "Once you do get here, you'll challenge me for your Stardust Dragon, and once that detail is out of the way, it'll be just like old times." By then he was fully dried off, so he put on his new change of clothes, went out to his D-Wheel, and rode off for his mansion. Traffic was smooth and always gave way to him. Upon arrival at his mansion, he performed a set of practice laps around the track set up for him, and only then parked in the underground garage, where it would not mar the surface aesthetics of his home.<p>

"Welcome back Jack." Mikage stood just inside the living room, large and spacious with an ideal view of the city's urban planning. "Mr. Godwin sentenced Mukuro to one year of re-education at the Detention Center, despite my recommendation for a much longer sentence."

"Somehow I doubt you would have been so vindictive if Mukuro had attacked someone else." Mikage bit her tongue to keep from making an unprofessional utterance, which brought Jack far more amusement than the alternative. Jack took a seat on his couch. "Now then, is there anything in the news that I should know about?"

"Actually, there is." Mikage turned on the TV and started the recorded report.

"Kenji Sakurada here, and 'here' looks more like the Satellite then our fair and noble utopia of Neo Domino City." Jack Atlas scoffed at the pampered fool, but continued to listen. "According to eyewitnesses, the peace brought to us by the director of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau Rex Godwin was disrupted by none other than the twisted and malicious being known only as the Black Rose Witch."

"You're right Mikage." The Black Rose Witch, a Psychic Duelist who freely used her powers without rhyme or reason, no concern for the damage, injuries, and deaths she caused. "One day, you will learn the King's wrath." Jack could see it in his mind's eye, the cloaked woman in a white mask at the end of the road, and himself riding down that road to face her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Aki's Dark Will**

* * *

><p>"Now for the final item on the agenda for the Senate Finance Subcommittee," a gravelly voiced old man said as he read off the screen before him. "Divine, head of the Arcadia Movement, step forward and present your case."<p>

"Thank you, Mr. Umino." A smooth voiced young man somewhere in his mid-twenties took the stand indicated for him. He saw his own image in the closed circuit camera, a thick plume of dark red hair above his right eye. "Honored members of the subcommittee, I am neither a man of wealth nor a man of means. The only thing I can provide to the Psychic Duelists of Neo Domino City is my vision and guidance, and for these things to be effective I must be provided wealth and means. According to the arrangement I have with Rex Godwin, director of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, I am to be provided with the funding I need, yet somehow this subcommittee sees fit to block my requests. I therefore request an explanation."

"The explanation is very simple, Mr. Divine." Senator Yamashita, A woman with short, finely cut hair spoke with affected bored disinterest. "Your requests are plainly in excess of what you could legitimately need. Even in Utopia, even with the Director's blessing, there are limits." Divine looked around the room, and saw that there was a significant bloc who'd subtly given away their alliance with the senator. He'd suspected that this was the case, but now that he had his confirmation, he could put his plan in motion.

"I disagree." Senator Ikeda's voice was surprisingly low, her hair a slightly more vibrant shade of red against Divine's. "Mr. Divine's Arcadia Movement provides the city with a unique service, one whose absence would lead to chaos and the disintegration of all that we've worked so hard for since Zero Reverse." Divine had expected her support, and saw that she had a bloc of her own to call upon, though not as large as Yamashita's. There were however enough undecided members for everything to turn in his favor. "Surely the city can afford to follow in both the letter and the spirit of the arrangements it has made?"

"The city could, if not for Mr. Divine's intent to abuse the arrangement." Yamashita brought up a projection for everyone to see. "Just last month he requested two hundred million yen for 'training equipment'. Explain to us, Mr. Divine, what sort of equipment is this that you require such a substantive sum to purchase it?"

"My good senator, I can assure you that if I had to buy the equipment that the Psychic Duelists in my care need to learn to control their power, the cost would be far greater. It is simply a matter that the materials I need and the experts I must hire to work those materials both come in high demand and low supply. I had not thought it necessary to explain all the tedious details, but if I must…" Divine was about to put his own projection up when a Security officer approached Senator Yamashita.

"What is it?" Senator Yamashita continued her affected disinterest, until she heard what the man had to say. "What!" She stood up and reached up to grab the man by the collar. "Your people were supposed to keep her in their sight at all times, Officer Ushio!" She released him from her grip and was breathing hard, all composure lost.

"I'm sorry, Senator Yamashita, but she managed to slip away while the officers on the scene were busy with a crime in progress." The square jawed officer was plainly in a difficult position, having to appease Yamashita while also defending his subordinates.

"I swear, if anything happens to her…"

"Her?" Senator Ikeda spoke with marked interest, drawing Yamashita's attention.

"My younger sister, Naru. For the past several weeks, someone has been giving her…" A guilty look crossed her face.

"Giving her what?" Divine asked, knowing exactly what she was about to say, what she had to say.

"…Black roses." All eyes were now upon her, the judgment behind them clear.

Senator Ikeda spoke. "Two points are clear; this meeting will be suspended until the safety of Senator Yamashita's sister is secured, and when the meeting does resume there will be a new item to discuss."

"I agree, and I can only hope that the limited resources of the Arcadia Movement will be sufficient to avert tragedy." Divine kept his face focused and stern; he had spent far too much time and effort setting all this up to have it fall apart due to a lackluster poker face.

* * *

><p>"Naru Yamashita." Aki Izayoi looked through the narrow eye slits of her mask at the woman before her; she was seated on a bulky D-Wheel, had wild punk hair, and was clad in a tight leather bodysuit. The two of them stood in a narrow alleyway with Naru's D-Wheel blocking the exit.<p>

"And you must be the Black Rose Witch. I was hoping I'd run into you." Naru spoke with an eagerness born of one who'd never experienced true difficulty. "I would have accepted your challenge earlier, but my sister's goons kept getting in my way. If it weren't for some punks coming along and trying to mug some old bitch in the middle of the day, I'd have never gotten away from them." Aki knew that Divine's distraction would work, and that their target would think nothing of it. Naru stood up off her D-Wheel and removed her Duel Disc from it. "Once I take care of you, my sister Maiko will have no choice but to get off my back. So, it's nothing personal you bitch."

"It's nothing personal for me either." Aki brought out her Duel Disc and armed it. "You are no different from all the others that must be destroyed." As she drew her cards, she felt the red burn on her right arm, the burn of the cursed mark. "I summon Ivy Wall in defense, and set three cards to end my turn."

"Turn 2, 4000 life points left."

"Going straight for the defense, bad idea; I normal summon Flare Resonater and then activate the permanent spell card Burning Summon." A fiendish creature appeared with a tuning fork in one hand, a rounded rod in the other, and behind it a plume of fire which flared up. "Once per turn, so long as I control a fire attribute monster I can special summon a level four or lower fire monster from my hand, so I special summon the level three Neo Flamvell Garuda, which will in turn allow me to perform a Synchro Summon." The large fire breathing bird had only a moment to shine before being surrounded by three rings of energy and becoming three brilliant stars. "Unstoppable fire that consumes without limits, explode forth! Synchro Summon, Flamvell Uruquizas!"

A green haired, heavily muscled man appeared with vambraces made of fire. "Since I used Flare Resonater for the Synchro Summon, Uruquizas's attack increases from 2100 to 2400. Furthermore, by discarding Flamvell Baby I increase Uruquizas's attack power by another four hundred points." A giggling infant made of fire dropped down from the heavens and became part of Uruquizas's flames. "Uruquizas, burn that bush into nothing." Uruquizas planted its feet firmly on the ground, twisted around, and threw a punch that launched a fireball larger than Aki's Ivy Wall. "By the way, Uruquizas penetrates defense." Naru smirked as the fire surrounded Aki, immolating her for 1600 points of damage. "Oh, and Uruquizas also gains 300 attack points every time it destroys your monster, just to let you know." Uruquizas roared as its muscles swelled and its flames burned even brighter. Naru's smirk then vanished as she realized that strange seeds had now gathered on her side of the field.

"When Ivy Wall is targeted by an attack, an Ivy Token is special summoned to your side of the field." As the seeds took root and began to grow, a pale red fire grew alongside them. "Now, the effect of my Permanent Trap Card, Rose Flame," the fire moved as though it were a living thing, coming ever closer to Naru, "Whenever a Plant type monster is special summoned to your side of the field, you take 500 points of damage." It was then that Naru realized that it wasn't a fire that approached her, but brilliant incandescent rose petals. Then they struck, and she cried out in pain as numerous cuts appeared on both her face and her body suit.

"What the hell?" Naru brought her hand to her face and looked at it, saw the blood that was on it, her blood. "You, what the hell are you? Even with the safeties turned off, Solid Vision can't do this."

"It is my curse." Aki brought her arm up, and even through her robe the glow of her Dragon Birthmark could be seen. "It is what separates me from you and all others in this city."

"You really are a witch, a freak!" Panic filled Naru's voice, yet she did not run. It was why she had been chosen as their target. "I was going to take you straight to Security after I defeated you, but now I'm going to parade you all over the city, let the people have their chance to make you suffer first."

"There is nothing more that this city can do to me."

Naru scowled, perturbed that nothing she said or did had any effect on her. "I'll end my turn now."

"Before you do, I activate my Permanent Trap Card, Curse of Ivy to special summon Ivy Wall back from the grave."

"Whatever, I'll just burn it and your life points away into nothing." Naru's eyes told a different story.

"Turn 3, 2400 life points left."

"My turn." Aki drew her card, the glow on her arm pulsing like a heartbeat. "I activate the spell card Magic Planter to send Curse of Ivy to the grave and draw two cards." Curse of Ivy sank into the ground and as it did Ivy Wall crumbled into a pile of dried husks. "When Curse of Ivy is sent to the grave, Ivy Wall is destroyed, while two Ivy Tokens are then summoned to your side of the field." Two blocks of Ivy grew near Naru, choking her field, limiting her options. Then Rose Flame's effect came into play as it generated two bursts of rose petals, each one like a stinging thorn in Naru's side. The cuts were deeper this time, the bleeding much worse than before.

"You bitch, you're really trying to kill me, aren't you?"

"Why shouldn't I?" Aki's voice was as always without passion.

"Why shouldn't…what the hell kind of a crazy question is that? There has to be a reason why you targeted me in the first place."

"As I said before, it is nothing personal. You share in the sin of this city and must suffer for it. I now summon Seed of Flame from my hand." A budding plant with what could only be described as arms and legs appeared, though where the head would have been there was only fire. "I activate the spell card Fragrance Storm to destroy one Plant monster on the field. I choose my Seed of Flame." Shredding gale force winds, carrying a rotten scent, tore apart Aki's monster. "This allows me to draw one card, and if that card is a Plant-type monster, I can show it to you to draw one more card." Aki took her card. "It is Copy Plant. She drew her next card. "Furthermore, when Seed of Flame is destroyed by a card effect, I can special summon a level-four or lower Plant monster from my grave while a Seed token is special summoned to your side of the field."

Aki's Ivy Wall returned once more, and behind Naru a large seed took root, joining with the Ivy in front of it to entrap her. There was thus no way for her to avoid the burning cuts of Rose Flame's effect as it tore into her legs. "There is no escape for your kind. You, and all others like you, shall die. Now, take your final turn."

"Turn 4, 2500 life points left."

"Goddamn it, I have to think of something." Naru muttered to herself as she drew her card, utterly unconcerned with what Aki had said. "I am not going to die here, I swear it! I send Burning Summons to the grave to activate its second effect, returning Flamvell Baby to my hand and thus allowing me to discard it once more!" Uruquizas grew larger and larger as more fire was fed into its being, now three times the size of either duelist as its attack power reached 3500. "Now you're going to experience my full power; Uruquizas, attack Ivy Wall!" This time Naru's monster brought its fists together and slammed them into the ground to create a towering, burning shockwave that shattered Ivy Wall before incinerating its remains in a flash. The fire clung to Aki, burning her until she had only 100 life points remaining, yet she herself was untouched. "Now I set one card and end my turn." Naru winced as her sweat seeped into open wounds, the constant sting almost unbearable.

"Turn 5, 100 life points left."

"I summon Copy Plant to the field and activate its effect, granting it the same level as that of a monster you control." A coiled up plant with cold eyes grew and changed until it resembled a wooden version of the level six Flamvell Uruquizas. "Next I activate Seed of Deception to special summon the level one Lotus Leaf from my hand, thus allowing me to perform a Synchro Summon."

Copy Plant became six rings to surround the single star of Lotus Leaf's light. "Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into Bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!" Wings made of rose petals, thorn encrusted vines hanging down from a long, black serpentine body, and eyes as cold as midnight. All thought of all pain and anguish left Naru's mind, only terror remained. This, despite the fact that Black Rose Dragon only 2400 attack points to Uruquizas's 3500, despite the fact that no matter which monster it attacked, her Returning Fire trap card would finish her off. "When sent to the grave, Lotus Leaf's effect activates, inflicting two hundred damage for each plant type monster you control" Roots reached up from the ground beneath each plant next to Naru and wrapped around her arms, slamming her down before receding. "When summoned, I can activate Black Rose Dragon's effect to destroy all cards on the field. I do so." A raging storm of black fire enveloped everything, leaving only the duelists behind. As each Ivy Token was destroyed, they shot their thorns into Naru for 300 points of damage each in accordance with their effects. Then each of the duelists' graves began to glow. Naru, barely conscious, remembered Aki's third face-down card, the one she hadn't activated. "When destroyed, Forgotten Seed allows me to remove from play two plant-type monsters in my grave to special summon a Vengeful Rose token with attack power equal to one monster in my grave, and one in yours, which is destroyed at the end of my turn."

Aki then saw a woman arrive in a car, her features similar to Naru's despite their different attires and hairstyles. "Naru!" She shrieked helplessly as the Vengeful Rose token brought down the walls of the alleyway upon Naru, crushing and burying her mutilated body beneath the rubble. Others swiftly arrived, Security officers, senators, and Divine. Aki drew a card and channeled her power through it to create an explosion of light, allowing her to escape through the secret path she had used to enter the alleyway to begin with.

* * *

><p>"Naru! Naru! Naru!" Senator Yamashita kept yelling as she struggled to lift the rubble off her sister's body.<p>

"Senator Yamashita, please!" Officer Ushio pulled her away, restrained her in an effort to keep her from injuring herself.

"I told you!" Tears flowed freely down her rage-filled face. "You were supposed to keep this from happening and you didn't! I swear I'll have you prosecuted for murder!"

"Maiko, it wasn't his fault." Senator Ikeda tried to put a comforting hand on Yamashita's shoulder, but she pulled away. "The Black Rose Witch…she's the one to blame."

"Senator Ikeda is right." Divine looked down at the rubble with a grim expression on his face. "In the face of this tragedy, we must forget whatever petty squabbles we may have with one another, and unite our efforts to make sure that this will never happen again." He turned to Yamashita and looked her in the eye. "I promise you, I will hold your sister's memory in my heart until her spirit can be at peace."

Yamashita finally stopped trying to escape from Ushio's grasp. "I'm sorry, Divine. From now on, whatever you need of the city for the Arcadia Movement, I will see to it that you get it."

Divine nodded. "Thank you for your support, I will not let you down."

* * *

><p>"Aki." She had just finished removing the Black Rose Witch disguise and was about to destroy it when she heard his voice in her mind. "The plan was a success, and I couldn't have done it without you."<p>

"Thank you Divine." That gratitude, that appreciation, Divine was the only one who'd ever given it to her. There was no one else, no one. All others had rejected her, lied to her, betrayed her…

"Aki." His presence in her mind was like warm velvet all over her body. "Do not dwell on the past, there is nothing you can do about it, and there is nothing for you to feel bad about."

"Yes, you're right Divine, I'm sorry." He understood her, better than she understood herself. Aki was thankful to have him in her life.

"I'm going to be busy for a while, so until I send you another message, just stay in the Tops district. You've earned it, Aki." With that, his presence was gone from her mind, but not the comfort of his memory. She finished destroying the disguise and disposing the remains such that they could not be traced back to her, Divine, or the Arcadia Movement. Then she emerged into the open and entered the public square, when someone small ran squarely into her.

"Yo, watch it lady!" The boy shoved against her as he tried to run off, but Aki put her hand on his shoulder to hold him in place; he looked to be about twelve with long green hair tied in a ponytail with twin strands hanging over his shoulders, and he was carrying a bag of groceries in each arm.

"Where are your parents?" She could ask the question, because Divine had blocked off those painful memories for her. Why she was asking though, that she was not sure of. There was something about the boy, something she couldn't see and yet knew was there.

"Wha, what kind of question is that?" The boy looked up at her with a defensive expression on his face. "I don't need your help, if that's what you're saying."

"I was simply curious." She released her grip on the boy's shoulder. "Most children don't carry their own groceries."

"Yeah, well I'm not like most kids." He said with a huff as they both noticed the attention they'd gathered from the passersby, and ran off.

"What a strange child." Aki mused to herself as she walked away, determined to vanish into the crowd until Divine called upon her once again.


	4. Chapter 4

**The World Ruka Sees**

* * *

><p>"Ruka, I'm back!" Rua had just stepped back into his and his twin sister's apartment, and not a minute too soon; not only had his arms had gotten tired carrying the groceries all the way back from the store, but there was also that weird red-haired lady he'd run into on the way back. On the one hand she was very pretty and that hair curler thing above her forehead was kind of cool, but those cold eyes and those weird questions, Rua had chills running down his spine just thinking about it. Rua shook his head and brought himself back to the present. "Are you up Ruka?" She was asleep when he'd left, and while that was over an hour ago she needed a lot of sleep, just as much as he needed a helping hand before he dropped everything.<p>

"Here you go." The weight in Rua's arms vanished as his muscles practically sighed in relief.

"Thanks, Ruka…" Then Rua realized that that wasn't Ruka's voice he'd heard. He turned around and saw a pair of large boys, Kakeru and Ichiro holding his bags, and since they were there, that meant…

"What, a girl can't let herself in to lend a helping hand. Or two?" The girl in question giggled with a high pitch, an obviously fake mannerism that had always annoyed Rua.

"Mimi Kaneko." The girl in question stood proudly at her name; she was tall for her age and slim in build, but those eyes gave away everything; unlike the strange woman from before, these eyes were hot, eager to put those she saw in their place. Rua looked past her and groaned inwardly as he saw that he had left the door open. "Fine, you came in, you helped, and now you're going to leave."

"Oh come on, little Rua." He couldn't help feeling the vein on his forehead swell; Mimi may have been taller than him, but that didn't change the fact that he was the older of the two! "You can at least let your sister thank me for the help." Then there was that damn smirk of hers, as fake as her laugh and just as annoying.

"Why don't you just cut the crap Mimi? You're not clever and I'm not stupid." That certainly took care of her smirk. Of course, that meant her cronies lost their smiles too.

"You sure you're not stupid, mouthing off to Ms. Kaneko like that?" Kakeru said as he took an orange from the bag and squeezed down on it, the meaning plain to Rua.

"Because walking right into an ass beating, that sounds pretty damn stupid to me." Ichiro took an egg and made as though he was going to smash it on the counter.

"Relax guys." They put the food items back where they'd found them and stepped back, letting Mimi advance. "It doesn't matter what you say or think Rua, because we both know that there's nothing you can do to get rid of me. So stop wasting my time and get your freak sister out here already, got it?"

"Don't you dare call Ruka a freak!" It took Rua everything he had to keep from hitting Mimi right then and there. "You're so far below her level you can't even see her!" Rua winced at how weak his retort was, but continued on by pointing out at the spacious balcony. "You and me, right now, and when I win you stay away from Ruka for good, you got it?"

"All right, all right." Mimi held her arm out, and Kakeru dutifully put on her duel disc while Ichiro inserted her deck. "I've got time to burn, may as well warm up before the real match."

"Oh believe me this is going to be more than a warm up." Rua retrieved his Duel Disc from the coffee table and put it on. "My Power Tool Dragon's going to burn you alive!"

* * *

><p>"Rua?" Ruka rubbed her eyes as she made her way into the living. She was having a dream, she was sure it was an important one, when she'd heard a sudden explosion. "Rua, did you get into another fight?" Sometimes Ruka didn't know what she was going to do about her brother; normally it would have been nice to have such a determined and devoted brother, but Rua, well…<p>

"Oh, I wouldn't call it a fight." A tall girl Ruka vaguely recognized was standing on the opposite end of the balcony from Rua, a Colossal Fighter monster on her side of the field. "And look; he's even crying, just like the rumors say." Her giggle was joined by a pair of snickers, and it was only then that the two large boys at the girl's side registered to Ruka.

"Shut up, I'm not crying! Your monster kicked sand in my eye, that's all." Ruka sighed; her brother could never lie or bluff at all.

"Whatever you say, loser, and you lost big time." Ruka looked at their duel discs; Rua was of course at zero life points, while his opponent still had 2500. The girl then turned to her. "Oh, don't get me wrong, I was as surprised as anyone when he got that one hit in, but the only blow that matters is the finishing one."

"Rua." Ruka walked right past the girl and got down on her knees to help Rua up. "Why were you dueling her when you knew you couldn't win? You know how pathetic you look when you cry." Ruka knew that anything less than blunt honesty would never get through to Rua.

"You don't know I couldn't win, and I'm not crying." Rua said with a sniffle. "I was just trying to get rid of Mimi so that she couldn't bother you."

"And you failed miserably, blah blah blah, now get out of the way so your freak sister can provide me with a real challenge."

"That's why you hurt my brother's feelings?" Ruka focused her attention on Mimi's deck, and saw that the heart it reflected was very small. Then she felt the energy in her right arm building up.

"Like I give a crap about his feelings, the baby just wouldn't get out of my way is all."

"Rua." He nodded and moved right behind Ruka, just a couple feet back. "Mimi, when I defeat you, you will leave us alone." The burn on her right arm reached its peak, forming her Dragon Birthmark, the claw.

"Woah." Mimi coughed nervously. "I mean, I guess that part of the rumor's true then." She armed her duel disc and drew her cards. Ruka did the same. "I'll take the first turn and discard the level one Level Consuming Lady from my hand to special summon Big One Warrior." A warrior with broad shoulders appeared, one hand held high in the air with his finger pointing to the sky. "Now, since I control a level one monster I can activate Grand Warrior's effect and special summon him to the field." A sleek, athletically built man clad in red armor appeared on the field, wielding a spear. "Next, once per duel I can reduce Grand Warrior's level from four to three to special summon Level Consuming Lady from the grave." A woman jumped onto the field, flipping as she did. In one hand she carried a light red shield with a star pattern upon it. "And since I just special summoned a monster from the grave, I can special summon Doppelwarrior from my hand." A man dressed in black emerged from the shadows, a submachine gun in his hands. "Finally, since Grand Warrior is a tuner monster, I can special summon Boost Warrior from my hand." Boost Warrior crashed down onto the field, jet engines on his back connected to bulky, elaborate purple armor. "Five monsters in one turn, impressed yet? Well don't be, 'cause now I'm going to take all my monsters and send them to the grave for a Synchro Summon." Grand Warrior became three rings of light, Doppelwarrior two stars, and the rest one each. "War without limit cries out to him! Mighty warrior, stake your soul in this battle! Synchro Summon, level eight Colossal Fighter!" The monster that emerged was towering and infused with the strength of those that had given their lives to bring about his, the jewels on his white armor shining brilliantly.

"And I'm still not done yet, because when Doppelwarrior is used as the material for a Synchro Summon, I get to special summon a pair of level one Doppel tokens." Two shades, half the size of the original appeared. "This means that when I play Tuner's Command to treat Colossal Fighter as a Tuner Monster, I can send all three monsters to the grave for another Synchro Summon." Colossal Fighter became eight rings of light, dwarfing the twin stars generated by the Doppel tokens. "A conflict that cries out from beyond the grave! The eternal fighter seeking yet more battle! Synchro Summon, level ten Brutal Warrior!" As tall and powerful as the Colossal Fighter was, Brutal Warrior was even more so, wearing pitch black armor that consumed the light. "Now is the time to be impressed; it's not every day that you get to see a level ten Synchro monster summoned on the very first turn." Mimi stood proud with her nose held high.

"Turn 2, 4000 life points left."

"My turn." Ruka looked at the monster and saw the empty, hollow heart that Mimi had put into it, the same stunted superficial soul that was present in all her monsters. "I summon Kuribon to the field." A furball creature with large, round eyes appeared on the field with a long rat tail with a ribbon tied around the base. It let out a high pitched chirp as it turned around to face Ruka, smiling with its eyes. "Don't worry Kuribon, I won't let you down."

"Whoa, hold on a second." Mimi said with affected confusion. "The fact that you're talking to your monster shows you're a freak just like they say, but they also say you're a dueling prodigy. No one, no matter how skilled they may be, could ever think that a level one, three hundred attack power nothing could ever stand up to my level ten, thirty-five hundred attack power Synchro Monster."

"That's because your monster fights alone. You haven't put your heart into it, so it doesn't have any real strength."

"Yeah, sure; look, it doesn't matter how sentimental you may get over that piece of trash of yours, or how freaky you get over its 'feelings', but none of that can change its stats or its effects."

"They don't have to, because now I activate the Field Spell card, Ancient Forest." Trees erupted all around them, overwriting the advanced and noisy city with a forest whose presence conveyed a weight all its own. "So long as this card is in play, any monster that attacks will be destroyed at the end of the Battle Phase. I end my turn."

"Turn 3, 4000 life points left."

"My turn." Mimi drew her card without looking at it. "If you think that a destruction effect is going to scare me, then you sure as hell aren't a prodigy. Brutal Warrior, tear that pathetic fuball apart." Like a looming giant Brutal Warrior reached forward with its hand, its shadow easily covering Kuribon.

"I now activate Kuribon's effect." Kuribon chirped it's loudest and transformed into a beam of light. "When attacked, I can return Kuribon to my hand to reduce battle damage to zero, and in turn you gain life points equal to your monster's attack power." A shower of light descended upon Mimi, raising her life points to 7500.

"And now Ancient Forest effect does its thing, blowing up my monster." Truthfully, Ancient Forest didn't blow up Brutal Warrior, it merely faded away. "This means now I get to use Brutal Warrior's effect; when it's in the grave, I can discard one card from my hand to special summon it back to the field, with an additional one thousand attack points to boot. The only downside is that it's the only monster I can have on the field, but with this kind of power, that's not much of a downside, now is it?" Mimi laughed as her monster returned to the field, larger and more powerful than before. "So what are you going to do now? Either you can make me even stronger, or you can give up now and let me stomp your freaky butt into the ground."

"Turn 4, 4000 life points left."

"My turn." Ruka drew her card, checking it carefully. "I summon Kuribon back to the field and set one card to end my turn."

"Turn 5, 7500 life points left."

"Fine, make me stronger it is." Mimi declared her attack, Kuribon activated its effect, Ancient Forest activated its effect, and by the time Brutal Warrior was finished with its effect, it was back on the field with 5500 attack points while she had 12000 life points. "I've got to tell you, it takes a real freak to run a deck so weak it makes the opponent stronger and stronger."

"Stop calling Ruka a freak!" Rua yelled out, unable to restrain himself.

"Ah, poor little Rua. Is Baby mad to hear the truth?" Mimi snickered. "Besides, I don't recall hearing Ruka telling me to stop, so obviously she doesn't mind being called out for the freak she is." She grinned sadistically as she looked Ruka right in the eye.

"Why are you so scared of me?" Mimi was practically knocked back by Ruka's question.

"What?" Kakeru and Ichiro stepped forward, but Mimi motioned them back.

"I can see it, it's the only feeling you've put into your monsters, and it keeps getting stronger."

"Yeah right, like I'm going to let some crazy talk like that trick me. I'm winning this duel, and when I do, everyone at school will know I'm the best duelist."

"So it's not just me you're scared of; you're afraid that everyone will see through you and how weak you really are."

"Shut up and take your turn!" Mimi's composure was long gone now.

"Turn 6, 4000 life points left."

"I will." Ruka drew her card, looked at it. "I summon Kuribon and set one card to end my turn."

"Turn 7, 12000 life points left."

"And let me guess, you won't activate that trap card either, right? You're just going to let me attack and revive stronger and stronger, right?" Mimi drew her card, and this time she looked at it. "Well too bad, this time things are going to go a little differently. See, the card I just drew is Command of Power, and when I control a level eight or higher Warrior monster, I can activate it to draw two cards." She did. "Hah, and here's another card I can play, Focused Level Force; I choose one monster I control and inflict three hundred damage per level of that monster." Ten shooting stars shot down from the heavens right into Ruka, bringing her down to 1000 life points. "And during my next draw phase, I can add it back from the grave to my hand, so next turn is going to be your last, got it?

"Yes, everything is in place for me to win next turn."

"Stop that!" Seemingly in response to Mimi's pure anger, Brutal Warrior attacked. "I am winning." Kuribon returned to Ruka's hand as even more light shined down upon Mimi. "My life points keep increasing." Brutal Warrior vanished and returned. "And my monster keeps getting stronger, and all you ever play is that worthless rat!"

"Turn 8, 1000 life points left."

"Kuribon is my friend." Ruka spoke in an insistent tone, one that Rua knew very well. "And she has come through for me, so now I'm going to come through for her. I start by summoning Sunny Pixie." A tiny sprite with red hair dressed in a gold and copper swimsuit sparked into being. "Since Sunny Pixie is a light attribute monster, I activate my trap card Fairy Tale to special summon another Light Attribute monster from my hand, High Pixie." This fairy had a purple complexion and tall, blue hair. "Sunny Pixie is a level one tuner monster while High Pixie is level six, so I send them to the grave for a Synchro Summon." Sunny Pixie became a single ring of light to control the path of High Pixie's six stars. The glow of Ruka's Dragon Birthmark grew brighter.

"The holy light of protection, shine now and become eternal life! Synchro Summon! A Regal Birth, Ancient Fairy Dragon!" A long sleek body colored royal blue, light pink butterfly wings, arms with long sinewy fingers, and a crown adorning a head with aquamarine hair, Ancient Fairy Dragon had an alien appearance. "When used for the Synchro Summon of a light attribute monster," and as Ruka spoke, her voice held an echoing quality, "Sunny Pixie gives me one thousand life points. In turn, High Pixie's effect allows Ancient Fairy to inflict damage equal to its defense when it destroys a monster you control." Contrails of sparkling light weaved their way around and into Ruka and the Ancient Fairy Dragon.

"If it destroys…what are you talking about?" Mimi could not hide the terror in her eyes, while Kakeru and Ichiro were paralyzed by their fear. "Your monster, it only has twenty-one hundred attack points, that's nowhere near enough to destroy Brutal Warrior."

"Next I activate Ancient Fairy Dragon's effect; by destroying a Field Spell card in play, I can recover one thousand life points and add one field spell card from my deck to my hand." The very trees and grass of the Ancient Forest became light which infused Ruka's being. "Now I activate the Field Spell card, Blazing Summer." The sun seemingly doubled in size, the sky turning bright orange in response. "With this card in play, whenever a monster is destroyed by battle, the controlling player takes damage equal to that monster's attack power."

"If, if, if!" Already the heat was getting to Mimi. "Your monster is still a pathetic level seven weakling, and if it gets anywhere near Brutal Warrior it'll be crushed."

"I declare my attack and activate my other trap card, Life Contrast; when my monster battles the opponent's monster while your life points are greater, it gains attack points equal to the difference between our life points." Ancient Fairy Dragon flew up into the sky. It grew and grew until its wings blotted out the bloated sun, its size fully conveying its 16600 attack points.

"You…you were setting me up, right from the very beginning." Mimi fell down on her back as Ancient Fairy Dragon unleashed its breath weapon, reducing Brutal Warrior down to nothing. "You let me build my power and life up, just to tear it all away." Ancient Fairy Dragon flew down until it was hovering directly over her, looking her in the eye.

"Your defeat is more than a matter of the cards." It was then that Mimi realized the source of the echo in Ruka's voice, as impossible as it was to believe, was the Ancient Fairy Dragon itself. "May this light destroy your former life, that your new life may be reborn." Ancient Fairy Dragon covered Mimi with its wings and subjected it to both High Pixie's power, and the power of the Blazing Summer sun, bringing her life points to zero.

As the solid vision constructs vanished, Mimi stared at her shaking hands. "You, what did you…?" She saw the Dragon Birthmark on Ruka's arm vanish, and Ruka herself collapse backwards into Rua's waiting arms. "Then, that part of the rumor…"

"Get out." The raw fury and rage in Rua's eyes was unlike any that Mimi or her cronies had ever seen, and after what had just happened, they did as he said, slamming the door shut behind them.

"I'm sorry, Rua." His eyes were the last thing Ruka saw before she passed out, utterly drained after her duel.

* * *

><p>"Aghh, what am I doing wrong?" Rua gripped his own head and rubbed furiously; he'd just put Ruka back in bed, tucked her in, and was now in the living room going over his deck. "I've watched the Riding King's duels fifty times each, so why can't I ever win?" He picked up the Power Tool Dragon and looked at it intently. "How come you can't ever pull off any cool combos like one of Ruka's?"<p>

"Is that sibling jealousy I hear?"

"Mr. Jaeger!" Rua would recognize that high pitched voice anywhere. He stood up and bowed down, only just a bit shorter than the odd, clown-like man. Then he remembered the question he'd just been asked. "No sir, never!" No matter how disappointed he was with himself, Rua would never ever resent his sister for even a second. "You know what I mean."

"Hee hee hee, you're always so tense when it comes to Ruka." Jaeger patted Rua on the shoulder as he walked past him. "Speaking of, I assume she is still too exhausted to speak?"

"Yes sir."

"A shame. In any event, I assume you witnessed her duel in its entirety, including the circumstances leading up to it?" Rua nodded. Jaeger smiled as he brought out his PDA. "You may regale me when you're ready."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes: **Several reviewers have reported difficulty following the duels, so I've attempted to break the text up to fix this problem. Please let me know if this is enough or if there's more I should do. Once I have achieved satisfaction, I will go back and edit the previous duels to suit the new standard. And now, onto the story.

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><p><strong>The Guardian of the Threshold Tunnel<strong>

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><p>"Ah, so you're Ushio, the one who let Senator Yamashita's sister get killed?" Ushio's face showed no emotion in response to his new superior's question, nor to the smoke he exhaled in his direction.<p>

"Yes sir." There was no point in trying to argue the matter with Commander Karasuma, in making excuses; by all rights he should have been fired, marked, and sent to the Satellite to live their the rest of his days. That he had been merely demoted was already a grace that he wouldn't look in the mouth.

"Well, you can relax now." Commander Karasuma put out his cigarette in a well-worn ash tray on his desk. "Here in the Satellite, there's no one to protect, just scum and criminals to punish. Sometimes they get uppity, sometimes they just think about getting uppity, but either way the response is the same." The smile on his face stretched from cheek to cheek, yet somehow seemed to have no effect on his eyes, as though it were painted on.

"I had no idea the situation here was so bad." Ushio's words were met with laughter marked by emptiness.

"They should have told me you had a sense of humor." Commander Karasuma stood up and patted Ushio on the shoulder. "You'll get used to it, everyone here does. Tell you what, I'll start you off easy and have you guard the pipeline between Neo Domino and the Satellite; Right now it's under maintenance so you're going to get a few desperate punks who'll try to run it and make their way to Neo Domino. Just smack them around until they understand their place and you're good to go. What do you say, does that sound like a reasonable task to start out on?" The glint in Commander Karasuma's eyes conveyed exactly the answer he wanted to hear.

"Yes sir." It was clear to Ushio that he could not let himself stay in the Satellite, he had to escape before it dragged him down and ruined him like it had done to Karasuma.

* * *

><p>"What are you going to do, Yusei?" He looked up from the D-Wheel and saw Taka, Nerve, and Blitz standing in his way; Taka was a heavy-set man in ill-fitting clothes that he'd been wearing for years, Nerve wore a dirty blue handkerchief on his head to conceal the discoloration in his hair, and Blitz had a cracked pair of bifocals that he could still use if he got the angle just right. Taka continued, "even if this D-Wheel of yours does work and you get to Jack, what then?" Then he put his hand down on the D-Wheel and kept it there.<p>

"I have to do something. Rally won't rest in peace until I do." Yusei grabbed Taka's hand and pulled it off.

"I'm not going to try and lie to you, Yusei." Nerve scratched at the persistent itch on his head. "I wasn't there, none of us were. I can't tell you that you're wrong to feel this way, to want revenge. What I can say is this." Nerve stopped scratching. "This isn't what Rally wants, this is what you want. The sooner you admit that to us and to yourself, the better."

"It's like you said, you weren't there." Yusei saw the flash in his mind's eye, the shallow rain soaked grave marked with poorly scrawled English text, the best he could manage. "You weren't there either." Rage filled screams filled Yusei's ears as Kiryu's voice demanded retribution, silenced with the swift brutality that characterized the Security Officers deployed to the Satellite.

"Yusei…" Blitz worked his hand as though trying to grasp the right way to say what he wanted, then stopped. "Damn it Yusei, you're going to get yourself killed! If for no other reason, give up and come back to the factory. At least then you'll be able to survive, and that's more than what any of us can ask for."

"Jack made it, he survived." If anything he was thriving, if one could trust the image of him on the TV gallivanting on his D-Wheel, not the same as the one he'd stolen. Yusei put on his helmet and turned on his D-Wheel, prompting his remaining friends to step away. He drove off into the street, the ride smooth despite the poor condition of the road. "Everyone, I'm sorry." He did not look back.

Yusei rode for over an hour at the greatest speed he could manage, the squalor of the Satellite blurring in his vision; trash piles became one, indistinguishable from the happenstance families huddled together for warmth. In the corner of his eye he saw a familiar piece of graffiti, "Team Satisfaction Forever", only the word "dead" had been inserted into it. He rode past it all, faster than the clawing memories could pull him back, and in due course his target came into sight, the pipeline connecting the Satellite and Neo Domino City. Meant for the disposal of Neo Domino's trash, it was also the only route available to a citizen of the Satellite. As far as Yusei knew, only Jack had ever succeeded in passing that gauntlet, and if he could become the second…

"Halt, Satellite Scum!" A Security Officer that Yusei had not seen before was right in front of the entrance to the tunnel, seated on his official, Security sanctioned D-Wheel. "This area is restricted to those licensed to work here. Failure to comply will…hey!" Yusei rode past him, barely avoiding a crash, and into the tunnel. "You are in violation of Statute 7, Satellite Scum." The officer was now in pursuit and gaining on him, intent on enforcing the law that forbade residents of the Satellite from entering Neo Domino City. Yusei accelerated for a moment and almost rammed into a twisted heap of metal, forcing him to slow back down. He looked back and saw the taser in the officer's hand; if he got much closer, he could target either him or his D-wheel and bring the chase to an immediate end. "This is your final warning, Satellite Scum; return to the Satellite where you belong or I will drag you back there by force."

It was going to be a desperate gambit, but then again, everything that Yusei had done this day was born of desperation. "Activate Duel System." He pressed the key that separated D-Wheels from ordinary motorcycles and an azure light spread out across the tunnel. Yusei grabbed his cards, taking only a moment to look them over. "I summon Tuning Supporter in defense position." A shrimp of a robot with an overlarge scarf over its face and a deep fry-pan for a helmet appeared behind Yusei's D-Wheel. This forced the Security Officer's D-Wheel back in order to prevent a malfunction from interference by the Solid Vision system.

"You really must be desperate, Satellite Scum." The word had been said so many times and not just on this day. The words struck Yusei, but held no impact. "Very well; I, Security Officer Ushio, accept your challenge, that I may end this pointless chase." He drew his cards. "Now, is your turn over, or do you have more in your hand than just scrap?"

"I set two cards to end my turn." Yusei didn't give a damn what Ushio thought, he was no one to him, no different from any of the other Security Officers who had been there when Kiryu had met his end.

"Turn 2, 4000 life points left." Ushio's D-Wheel called out.

"Hmph, now let's see how much of a fight trash like you can put up." Ushio took his cards in hand and slammed one down. "I summon Marauding Commander and activate its effect to special summon the level two Hell Sharpshooter from my hand in defense." A warrior in medieval armor and cropped blond hair brought a pair of swords together, their clashing ring a call to arms for a more modern soldier, a horned military policeman armed with a sniper rifle.

"When special summoned in defense, Hell Sharpshooter destroys one monster on the field." The monster in question took aim and fired, hitting Tuning Supporter right between the eyes. With Yusei's monster gone, Ushio was now able to close the gap between them. "Furthermore, since Hell Sharpshooter is a tuner monster, I can send it and Marauding Commander to the grave to Synchro Summon the level five Scarred Warrior!"

Rings of light ignited near Yusei's head, obliterating his vision. He swerved wildly to avoid half glimpsed obstacles, and when his vision returned he saw Ushio's monster, steel armor over one leg and the shoulders. The head and right arm was covered in tightly wound bandages distressingly reminiscent of the ones used on Robert Axelrod, with a blade emerging from just above his fist. Yusei was too busy trying to regain control of his D-Wheel to react to the Scarred Warrior's attack, the blade passing through the frame of his vehicle and thus disrupting the controls. At just over half his life points, the damage would not be easily shaken off, allowing Ushio to pull ahead of him. "Surrender now Satellite Scum, and your sentence will be reduced."

"Graceful Revival." Tuning Supporter flashed back into being, pushing both Scarred Warrior and Ushio ahead, faster than anticipated. Yusei maneuvered around, riding on the sides of the wall for only a second before returning to solid ground, once more ahead of Ushio. "I have no need for your deals."

"That's what you think! I activate my spell card Cyclone and destroy your Graceful Revival, and Tuning Supporter along with it."

"Quick Spell, Hell Reckless Summon." A deathly aura surrounded both Tuning Supporter and Scarred Warrior, auras which then reached into their respective hands, decks, and graves. Yusei gained two more Tuning Supporters from his deck even as he lost the original, Ushio's position remained as was.

"Turn 3, 1900 life points left." The mechanical tone of Yusei's D-Wheel was uncaring.

"Now that's a rare card for a piece of Satellite Scum to have; maybe you stole it off someone important." Ushio said as he set two cards. "Tell me who it was, and I'll definitely cut your sentence in half."

"I can't steal something that's already been thrown away." This was true for the cards in his deck, and for the one who'd come into his care…Yusei drew his card. "I summon Nitro Synchron and equip it with Synchro Boost, increasing its level by one." An odd looking robotic pump appeared between the Tuning Supporters, a strange energy filling it and causing it to glow with three points of light. "When used for a Synchro Summon, Tuning Supporter can be treated as level two. Thus, I send all three of my monsters to the grave for a level seven Synchro Monster." The tuning supporters joined together, becoming four rings of light. In a flash, Nitro Synchron used its boost to become three brilliant stars. "Gathering feelings will now become a new force! Become the path its light shines upon!" The light in question blinded Ushio, forcing him further back. "Synchro Summon! Blaze on, Nitro Warrior!" A demonic monster with large steel horns and a bulbous rocket sticking down from his back appeared. "Now, since I activated a spell card this turn, I activate Nitro Warrior's effect and increase its attack power by one thousand points."

The rocket ignited, increasing the force behind Nitro Warrior's punch ten-fold, yet despite dealing 1700 points of damage, Scarred Warrior endured. "Nice try, but Scarred Warrior can survive battle once per turn, and since you attacked, I activate my permanent trap card Sniper's Cover." Bullets rained down upon Nitro Warrior from impossible angles. "This trap is equipped to Scarred Warrior, and when attacked and not destroyed by battle, your monster loses attack power equal to my own." Nitro Warrior retreated, survived but only just. Its inner fire died down, the boost provided by the spell that allowed its summons consumed.

"…I set three cards, and end my turn."

"Turn 4, 2300 life points left."

Yusei had lost the momentum, both in the duel and on his D-wheel. Officer Ushio was upon him once more. This close, he could see the man's face properly, see the self-loathing in those eyes, just like his own. "How did you end up here?"

"So now the Satellite Scum wants to talk, now that he's about to lose, is that it?" Ushio's engine roared as he overtook Yusei. "You had your chance, you're not getting away this time!" Yusei saw it for only a moment, but in Ushio's eyes he was not looking in the tunnel, but in some other place. "I summon another Marauding Captain, and use its effect to special summon the level two Hell Interrogator in defense, whose effect will discard one random card from your hand." A crazed figure put a lighter to Yusei's cards, taking away his Fortress Warrior. "Now I perform a second Synchro Summon, sending Marauding Captain and Hell Interrogator to the grave to summon the level five Vindictive Warrior!" A long, lithe figure armed with a heavy rifle, one eye empty. "When destroyed by battle, Vindictive Warrior inflicts damage on you equal to its attack power, but you're not going to last that long; Vindictive Warrior, attack his piece of scrap!"

A bullet between the eyes for 1700 points of damage, Nitro Warrior crashed into Yusei's D-Wheel , causing him to spin about. He straightened himself out, but only just, and in the distance he saw the exit to the tunnel. "And now I activate my permanent trap card, Brutality; once per turn when I destroy a monster you control, I deal damage equal to one hundred times its level." Vindictive Warrior leaped back towards Yusei, about to strike him in the face with the butt of his rifle.

"Permanent Trap card, Descending Defense; once per turn I can discard a monster from my hand to reduce damage to zero." The final card in Yusei's hand was gone, rocks shooting up from the ground to force Vindictive Warrior back. Scarred Warrior took its place, about to drive its blade into Yusei's sternum. "Defense Draw." The blade passed harmlessly through Yusei's body as he took a card from his deck. "And now I activate Reinforce Truth to special summon a level two or lower warrior monster from my deck." Speed Warrior, so small and weak in such company, stood by Yusei's side.

"All those cards you drew and all you managed was another scrap monster. If you are a thief, you're a damn lousy one." Ushio was now less than a minute away from the exit. "Do us both a favor Satellite Scum and just give up."

"Turn 5, 200 life points left." Yusei had only this last minute to win, to reach his goal, to face Jack and…

"Fine, crash and burn for all I care!" The seconds seemed to crawl as Ushio neared the exit, and the switch to seal it shut.

"I sacrifice Speed Warrior to special summon Turret Warrior." A monster built like a castle wall, its shoulders lined with gun turrets. "Next I play Tuning, adding a Synchron monster from my deck and then sending the top card of my deck to the grave." Yusei summoned Turbo Synchron, shaped like a miniature car robot, and the card newly sent to the grave proved to be Bolt Hedgehog as it special summoned itself through its own effect. "I tune the level five Turret Warrior and the level two Bolt Hedgehog to the level one Turbo Synchron." Seven rings of light spiraled around the tunnel, guiding the path of a single shining star. "Gathering bonds weave an unstoppable force! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Turbo Driver!" The light vanished, leaving behind a humanoid monster whose body was lined with thrusters and wheels, armed with 2700 attack points. "When Turbo Driver attacks a Synchro monster, the target monster's attack power is reduced to zero and its effect negated."

"Damn it, it won't end like this, not again!" Ushio gunned his engines, risking crashing right into the switch. It did him no good. Turbo Driver drove right through Scarred Warrior as though it wasn't even there, and struck the midsection of Ushio's D-Wheel, causing it to spin-out as the engines automatically locked up and the brakes slammed down as hard as they could. As Yusei rode past him, he slowed down for a moment to assess his injuries. He would live, maybe even recover. That was all the attention he could spare the man, and he drove off, entering Neo Domino City for the first time.

From this point on, Yusei was riding blind, only a vague notion of where his destination lied. Nothing was familiar, not even the air; it was so…clean. The roads were smooth, the windows whole, the trash sorted neatly into bins to be picked up at a later date, and there were cameras every other street corner. Even in Neo Domino City, it seemed it was possible to live too close to the Satellite. For almost an hour he rode, undisturbed by Security Officers, searching for the rode that would lead to the dueling arena, the only lead he had on Jack.

"About time you made it, Yusei." Yusei looked to his left and saw Jack in his D-Wheel, the one that he'd been given in place of the one he'd stolen from Yusei. "Follow me." He drove off with great speed, his actions explaining the absence of Security Pursuit within Neo Domino City.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes:** I'm making one last change to the duel format I use, and if this works, I will go back and edit the previous chapters to fit the new standard.

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><p><strong>Racing Down the Road of Revenge<strong>

* * *

><p>"Tell me Yusei, what do you think of it?" Jack Atlas swept his arm out as he and Yusei stood by their D-Wheels on the track of the Dueling Stadium. "That tiny little TV of yours could never hope to convey the grandeur of it all, could it?" Jack smiled and laughed heartily, for at last the circle had been closed on that day four years ago, the day when Kiryu had gone mad and gotten himself killed trying to take on the Security forces. The day when the Dragon Birthmark appeared on his right arm…<p>

* * *

><p>"Yusei, we don't belong here." Jack stared down at the strange birthmark that had appeared on his arm, the one he'd studied in whatever records were available in the Satellite Slums. "This mark is proof of that, at least for me, and there's no way I'm going to abandon you to this hell hole."<p>

Yusei was kneeling down at the stone being used to mark Kiryu's grave, empty of course. "This is our home Jack, this is where Martha raised us. There's nothing we can do to change that."

"Our leader failed so now you're giving up?" Jack grabbed Yusei by the collar and glared at him, but the fellow 14-year old gave no ground. "Fine, stay and mope, but I'm not giving up, no matter what. When the time comes, I expect you to follow."

…

"I'm going to create a D-Wheel." A year had passed, and for the first time since, Jack found cause to smile.

"If anyone around here could create one, it would be you, Yusei." However, Yusei frowned.

"I still have no intention of running away from the Satellite. It's because of this." Yusei produced the Stardust Dragon card from his deck. "Rally wants to see it fly down the street as fast as it can."

"Is that so?" Jack pulled out his Red Demon's Dragon card. "Don't you think it would be more impressive if our dragons could clash against one another at such high speeds?" He jerked his thumb towards the muted TV, displaying the Riding Duel of the then current King.

"You didn't think that would change my mind, did you Jack?"

"No." Jack shook his head, a sad smile on his face. "I'm just trying to get you to see that our future is in Neo Domino City, that nothing here matters next to there."

"And I still believe that we're needed here." A moment of silence. "If you want, you can help me gather the parts I'm going to need."

"That's fine, nothing else to do anyway."

…

"So, who the hell are you anyway?" Eleven months later, Jack held a crumpled note in his hand, inviting him to the abandoned theater. He looked down on the stage and saw a short, slender man with make-up like a clown's.

"Me? I'm Jaeger, the Vice-Director of Security for Neo-Domino City, and I've come here on behalf of Director Godwin." Jaeger spoke with an even, well-projected voice suited to the locale.

"Director Godwin?" Jack formed a snarl on his face. "Decided to mop up the rest of Team Satisfaction have you? Took your time about it, didn't you?" He advanced down closer to the stage.

"Nothing of the sort; neither Godwin nor I hold grudges, but we do keep our ears open, and what we've heard about you has been most intriguing. You are not the first to dream of escaping the satellite, but you are the first who could make that worthwhile for us."

Jack stopped in his tracks. "What do you mean?"

"The current King of Riding Duels is nearing retirement, and none of his prospective replacements in Neo-Domino City are promising, not next to you at any rate."

"I see. The catch?" Jack made his way onto the stage, looking down at Jaeger.

"According to my sources, the Red Demon's Dragon and the Stardust Dragon cards have recently been found here. You are in possession of the Red Demon's Dragon?" Jack showed him the card for an instant before putting it back. "It is also my understanding that you know the man who's claimed Stardust?" Jack nodded. "Good. Take the Stardust Dragon card from him and bring it with you to the Pipeline. We've already prepared your false ID and personal history, the rest is up to you." The man took off, not bothering to confirm whether Jack had accepted his bargain. He didn't have to.

* * *

><p>As Jack's reminiscence came to a close, he realized that Yusei was still silent, his face impossible to read. "Well Yusei, talk." He took out the Stardust Dragon and tossed it to Yusei. "It's like I said, we can finally duel with these cards the way they were meant to be used."<p>

Yusei threw Stardust back at Jack. "I'm not here for a card, Jack. I'm not here for a D-Wheel." Yusei revved his D-Wheel.

"Fine by me Yusei; you want to duel with a handicap, I won't stop you." Hell, Jack welcomed it; if Yusei figured he didn't need Stardust, he must have improved his deck many times over. As Jack revved the Wheel of Fortune up, he activated the Dueling Stadium's systems. "Now, you face the duel of the King!" He zoomed on ahead, Yusei following, the both of them weaving around pillars as they rose and fell. "I summon Dark Resonator in defense and set one card to end my turn." A round grinning fiend with a tuning fork in one hand and a rod in the other appeared by the Wheel of Fortune. "Go ahead Yusei, show me what you've got!"

"Turn 2, 4000 life points left." Yusei's D-Wheel called out in an electronic tone.

"I activate Level Warrior's effect and special summon it from my hand at level four. Next, I summon Changer Synchron, and send both to the grave to Synchro Summon Charging Warrior." A warrior in a red uniform and mask appeared alongside a small winged robot with a switch on top of its head. The robot pulled on the switch while the warrior transformed into four points of light. Changer Synchron's change was complete, now a ring to capture the light. "This gathering power will change the path the light shines upon. Synchro Summon! Come forth, Charging Warrior." The humanoid figure that appeared possessed large powerful legs, the feet lined with wheels, and along its arms were rocket boosters, justifying its 2200 attack power. "Furthermore, when Changer Synchron is sent to the grave for a Synchro Summon, I can change the battle position of your monster." Dark Resonator ended its defensive posture just in time for Charging Warrior to punch it square in the stomach for 900 points of damage.

"Damn, you've wanted to do that for a long time, I can tell Yusei!" Jack didn't mind the damage; Dark Resonator's effect kept it from being destroyed by battle. "Usually you go right on the defensive."

"Charging Warrior's effect; after battle, I can discard one card from my hand to draw one card from my deck." Though if anything he'd gotten even more reserved than before. "I set two cards and end my turn."

"Turn 3, 3100 life points left." The deep voice of Jack's D-Wheel called out.

"Come on Yusei, loosen up!" Jack drove in a circle around Yusei as he narrowly avoided a ditch that appeared just to the side of him. "Maybe this will get you talking again; I discard the level one Sinister Sprocket to special summon Power Giant at level five. This lets me Synchro Summon a level eight monster, and I choose the Stardust Dragon!" Shining and shimmering with its own silver light, the pale beast howled a strange roar unlike any earthly creature. "Can you imagine if Rally were watching right now? I bet the kid would wet himself and not even give a damn!"

"…Don't mention Rally again."

"Touchy, but at least you're doing more than rattling off card effects. Now, Stardust Dragon, attack his Charging Warrior!" Stardust reared back and jerked its head forward, unleashing a stream of cascading lights at Yusei's monster, destroying it for three hundred points of damage as Yusei activated its effect one last time. "And now let me guess, one of your traps will let you reclaim Stardust Dragon?" Jack knew that was why Yusei had refused the card, he wanted to show him that he didn't need a gift like that. He'd always been stubborn like that.

"Turn 4, 3700 life points left."

"My turn." Yusei took his card. "I summon Road Synchron, and activate One-Shot Booster's effect to special summon it to the field." Road Synchron rolled onto the track, racing alongside Yusei as One Shot Booster flew over head.

"Rally's card?" Jack couldn't help wondering aloud, despite the inevitable glare it drew from Yusei.

"…Now I activate my trap card, Returning Past; when I special summon a monster to the field, I can special summon a monster from my grave, which is removed from play at the end of the turn. I bring back my Level Warrior at level three, allowing me to send all my monsters to the grave for a Synchro Summon." Four lights, four rings. "Gathering hopes will evoke a new horizon! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Dash onward, Road Warrior!" Gleaming golden armor and a section of road on his back, the jet-black warrior glared disdainfully at Stardust Dragon. "I activate Road Warrior's effect to special summon Turbo Synchron from my deck and have him attack Stardust Dragon." Road Warrior took the section of street off its back, creating a path for the new monster Yusei had summoned.

"What the hell?" Jack watched in confusion as a tiny green robot in the shape of a car advanced a feeble attack against the far stronger dragon, yet in the final moments the dragon crouched, covered itself with its wings. The attack was still deflected effortlessly, and Yusei still took 1900 points of damage, but Turbo Synchron survived. It made no sense, Yusei would take damage but he wasn't a reckless fool about it.

"When Turbo Synchron attacks, I can switch the target to defense, and special summon a monster whose attack power is equal to or less than the damage I just took." Turret Warrior, the final card in Yusei's hand, entered the field with 1200 attack points. "Now I activate Urgent Tuning, allowing me to send Turbo Synchron and Turret Warrior to the grave for a Synchro Summon during the battle phase." Jack couldn't understand, why was Yusei trying to rush the duel? "Gathering bonds weave a greater force! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Turbo Warrior!" Red and sleek with long piercing fingers, Turbo Warrior cut through Stardust Dragon quickly and without compassion. "Take this Jack; Road Warrior, attack!" Road Warrior punched the Wheel of Fortune, inflicting 3000 points of damage and leaving Jack with a meager hundred. It was everything Jack could do to regain control and keep himself from crashing into the obstacles he'd summoned in the first place.

"Turn 5, 100 life points left." Jack's D-Wheel called out redundantly.

"Yusei, what the hell's gotten into you?" A duel was one thing, but the ferocity, the fierceness that Yusei was showing, it was like a real battle! "If you're not here for the card, and you're not here for the D-Wheel, then why are you here?"

The two rode silently, save for the sounds of engines, solid vision systems, and obstacles emerging and falling into place. "Rally's dead." The words came out like a dagger.

"…What?"

"Before I could reach him, he fell into the water and swallowed it." The declaration made, Yusei spoke far more liberally than before. "The water was polluted Jack, you knew that, and you toyed with his life anyway. Now here you are, no concern for anything but your own amusement. I didn't know what I was going to do before, but now I've decided; I'm going to defeat you, and drag you from your throne back to the Satellite. Now, take your turn, Jack."

"Yusei…" The emotions that had been bottled up in Yusei had been let loose upon Jack like waves. "Yusei…" Jack's face began to change. "YUSEI!" Jack snarled in fury, his face twisted into the very vestige of fury itself. "You dare make up some bullshit story like that, just to try and throw me off my game?" Jack tore the next card from his deck. "I am the King of Riding Duels, my will is law! My plan was perfect, it did not fail!" He summoned Big Piece Golem from his hand without sacrifice in accordance with its effect. He then rode up against the sides of the stadium and took to the air above Yusei. "I activate my trap card, Revival Gift!" Dark Resonator reappeared on Jack's side of the field, and with him came a pair of worm like fiends that settled down onto Yusei's side of the field in attack position with 1500 attack points. Jack landed back on the track, his course undisturbed. "Now, behold!" The synchro summon began. "The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Demon's Dragon!" As the dragon took shape, the Dragon Birthmark on Jack's arm began to burn bright, its light a demand upon his soul. "Finally, I activate Burden of the Mighty, reducing all your monsters attack powers by one hundred per level." With that Road Warrior was brought down to 2200, Turbo to 1900, and the Gift Fiends to 1200.

"You see Yusei?" Jack spun around on his D-Wheel, facing Yusei while continuing to drive ahead of him. "I will win this duel, because that is the King's decree! Now, face the wrath of the King whose name you've blasphemed!" Red Demon's Dragon flew down, the wind generated by its wing beats pushing Yusei off course. It raised a great fist and brought it down upon one of the Gift Fiends. As it did, the Stardust Dragon in Jack's grave began to shine, and a red light began to burn on Yusei's arm, the same red as on Jack's. The light flared, deflecting the blow just enough that Yusei was able to stay on course even as his life points hit zero and the Stadium's systems shut down.

Upon stopping, Yusei pulled up on his sleeve to see what looked like a birthmark in the shape of a strange tail on his arm. "What?"

Jack pulled up his sleeve and looked at his own mark, like great wings. Then he glared at Yusei. "The hell are you trying to pull now?"

Before Yusei could respond, he was trapped in a spotlight. "Attention, Satellite Scum!" The Security forces that Jack had held off for his duel with Yusei would wait no longer. Files of uniformed men formed a contracting circle around Yusei "For the crime of trespassing into Neo-Domino City and for attempting a duel against the King of Riding Duels, you are sentenced to re-education at the Detention Center. If you resist, we will use lethal force." The Security officers drew their guns and pressed in closer.

Jack turned away, not bothering to see what was going to happen; a few days at the Detention Center, and he'd realize what a dumbass he was being about everything. At that point Jack figured he could pull some strings and have Yusei assigned to him as a servant for the rest of his sentence. With that thought in mind he rode off back to his mansion.

* * *

><p>"Prisoner number seven-eight-seven-seven, do you understand the purpose of the mark you've been branded with?" Yusei Fudou had barely heard the judge seated in front of a blinding light, his mind consumed with pain. Within moments of being brought to the Detention Center, he'd been strapped down into a chair, unable to move as a laser burned across his race, etching a line down from his right eye to his chin. Then it added one last burn near his eye, like a punctuation mark. Yusei was forced back into the present moment when a Security officer jabbed him with an electric prod, pain like white fire beneath his nails. "Prisoner number seven-eight-seven-seven, you will answer the court's question."<p>

"I do." The officer used the prod again, dropping Yusei to the ground.

"No, you do not, because you have not been re-educated." The man paused to take a drink of water. "The purpose of your mark is so that we may track you no matter where you go. This way, in the event of a relapse to your criminal behavior, we will be able to apprehend you at a moment's notice. We will test you later to see how well you've internalized this lesson. Officers, take him to his cell." Yusei was forced back onto his feet and dragged away. He was brought down the hall, monotonous and repetitive, endless. The scent of human misery was palpable.

"Get in." One of the officers spoke while the other opened the door. He was shoved in, not given a chance to respond, and the door was shut behind him, no way to open it from the inside.

"Great, and I really liked having this room to myself." Yusei's attention was now drawn to the sarcastic voice of the man who was already been in the cell. "Well, may as well TRY to be agreeable." The man drew himself up from off his hard, plastic mattress. He had a shock of hair like fire and a bright red mark on his left cheek that crossed over itself. "I'm Mukuro Enjo, and I'm here because I dared to cross that prick that calls himself the King of Riding Duels. You?"

"Yusei Fudo. I had a run-in with Jack as well."

"Comrade in arms, eh?" Mukuro stuck his hand out with a hearty grin. "We should get along just fine."


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes:** The first five chapters have now been edited to make the duels easier to follow in accordance with the suggestions that I've received. Thank you for your time, and I hope you enjoy the story.

* * *

><p><strong>Disaster Consumes Hell<strong>

* * *

><p>Aki Izayoi looked down at the Test Dummy that had served as the measuring stick for her power; it was torn apart in great jagged cuts, the upper-half liberated from the lower. Normally both halves remained attached, but ever since the other night Aki had felt a strange surge in her power, more difficult to control and keep in check. She was not worried though, she had no cause to be; Divine was still there, ever present, guiding her hand and the destruction that she would bring to the many who deserved it. "Aki, I need you to come to my office." Aki's legs moved of their own accord, pulling her past the others in the middle of their own training, their comparatively feeble power of no consequence to her. She entered the elevator and pushed the button for the top floor, and indulged herself in the rising feeling that came with it. She entered his office and got down on one knee, bowing to him.<p>

"Divine, you have summoned me." Her message was not in her words but in her meaning, that his will was hers, now and forever.

"Aki, I would like to introduce you to a new member of the Arcadia Movement, Akira Inoue." At his direction she looked at the slender boy at his side, no more than sixteen. He had a mop of tangled black hair that blocked his eyes. "He will be accompanying you on your mission to the Detention Center."

Suddenly there was a sound like the squeak of a mouse. It took Aki a moment to realize that it was Akira's voice. "Sir?" He said it a second time, much clearer than before. "Wouldn't…wouldn't that be…dangerous?" He shrank down into himself, even smaller than he already was, as Divine turned his attention to him.

"Ungrateful." Aki muttered under her breath.

"Nothing of the sort, I assure you Aki." Aki reproached herself in accordance with Divine's command. "Akira, you hold a potential, nothing on the order of what Aki holds, but significant enough that it must be awakened fully, and it must be soon. The only way this can be done is to place significant challenges and barriers before you and hope that you will overcome." Divine turned his attention back to Aki. "The other night, I sensed a surge of power in the city. Our comrades have reported back to me that a man from the Satellite managed to break into the city and challenged the Riding King to a duel. At the conclusion of that duel, a mark appeared on his arm, shaped like a dragon's tail."

Aki could feel it boiling over in her, acidic, caustic, burning ice-cold. The thought of another who bore the cursed mark, the taste of copper over her tongue, it made her dig her nails into the palms of her hands. "He will die before nightfall."

"You presume my desires, Aki." Like a fine mist his words washed over her, seeping into each and every one of her pores, sedating her. "What I need is for you to find the Signer, and retrieve him, remove him from Rex Godwin's grasp and place him in mine. After all, as a former citizen of the Satellite, he should have no more love for this city than you."

"Yes, I understand, Divine." Divine's wisdom was great, anyone who could escape the slums for even a minute would be both willing and able to bring about his vision. Even so, despite knowing this down in the depths of her heart, Aki still felt ten thousand needles in her skin at the thought of that man. Somehow, he was causing her power to flare, barely restrained due to Divine's guidance. If it came to it, she would not delay in dismembering his body and destroying the remains.

"That is very good Aki; your driver is prepared, so depart immediately. I look forward to your return."

Aki nodded and stood back up before turning around. As she left the office, she could sense Akira's soft steps on the plush carpet following her, so delicate; his potential had to be great, if Divine believed there was worth in such a boy. "Miss Aki." She could barely hear him, and only bothered because of Divine. "Wha, what is a Signer?"

"It is a curse." Aki involuntarily gripped her arm, where her Dragon Mark perpetually burned. "A signer is someone condemned to suffer." Hazy, half-foggy images began to form in her mind's eye, but were swiftly dashed away by the protections that Divine had placed within her long ago. "It is a power beyond even Divine's reach, yet only he is suited to wield it." As they descended down the elevator to the basement, she saw Divine's hand before her, always there, always open.

"I see." Akira gripped his arm and rubbed it, looking away as he did. "I, I only hope I can help you, the way Master Divine does." That was clearly impossible; Akira could be a wallflower by himself, no presence, no will. Power by itself was not enough, and there was no possibility that his power could even measure out to half that of Divine's.

"It would be well if you did." Let him think he could follow such dreams; they were still in line with Divine's intentions and nothing could be allowed to interfere with that.

The elevator opened up at last, the two departed and made their way to the limo that awaited them. They entered, sat down, and left the driver to his task as they each meditated, focused, became closer in mind, body, and soul to Divine.

* * *

><p>"Attention everyone; Director Rex Godwin will be here this afternoon to speak to all about the importance of being decent human beings for a change. Therefore, I will be generous and allow you all to mix amongst one another, socialize outside a strict schedule. However, if I should think that any of you are abusing this privilege, I won't hesitate to punish you brutally and publically, to discourage such activity." The powerful voice behind the P.A. system ceased and the door to Yusei and Mukuro's cell opened up.<p>

"Warden Takasu, doesn't even bother to hide it." Yusei watched as Mukuro cleared his throat and imitated the deep bass of the warden's voice as best he could manage. "If I should think, bah!" He ceased his lackluster imitation. "You know he's just going to pick some random schmucks and have them beaten senseless no matter what we do."

"If we stay in here, he'll definitely target us." Yusei stood up and stepped towards the door.

"Smart guy Yusei. Nothing for us to do but hope God doesn't piss in our eyes." Upon entering the hall Yusei saw the rest of the prisoners milling towards the center of the building, bumping into one another with numb indifference. Dead eyes stared at him with indifference, the myriad marks on their faces blurring indistinctly in Yusei's mind. In the middle of that crowd of bodies prodded along by the dictates of an unseen master, Yusei could no longer avoid thinking about the duel he'd lost; truthfully, he'd hardly ever won against Jack before, but even so, he believed he'd found his convictions and that this would make the difference. Yet, when Jack roared his defiance, played his combo that he could do nothing about, Yusei knew he was wrong. The self-loathing that had been building up like bile within him for years, he'd tried to project that onto Jack, what else did he expect to happen?

"Watch it, prick!" Yusei was startled by the person he'd bumped into, a well-toned man with a scowl seemingly burned onto his face. His spirit had yet to be broken by this place. Now that Yusei looked around himself, he could see that they'd been herded into a different area of the prison; if he'd passed through on the way to his cell, he didn't remember. It was a large, open area, room enough for every prisoner to move around at their own discretion. Yusei was surprised to see female prisoners filing in from the opposite end, but the looks in their eyes were just like their male counterparts; everyone was equally at risk, everyone an equal danger to those around them.

"You smell that Yusei?" Mukuro said as he sniffed loudly at the air. Now that attention had been drawn to it, he couldn't ignore the acrid stench all around them. "Yeah, that's what happens when you cram this many people in one space and don't let any of them shower." Yusei looked around some more, taking note of the impromptu alliances that were being formed, the weak huddling around the strong; truthfully, there was no real difference between this and what he and Jack had done when they decided to join up with Kiryu and form Team Satisfaction. Indeed, the whole of the Detention Center was nothing if not a miniature version of the Satellite. "Well, nothing to do but make sure we get some good lackeys." Mukuro then split off from Yusei and began wedeling from one group to the next.

"…Right." Regardless of his attitude and language, Mukuro was his only ally in this place; survival meant he would have to do things his way, and he had to survive. Yusei still needed his answers, how he could overcome his own guilt and face Jack once again.

"Damn it kid, speak when you're spoken to!" A loud, gruff voice called out above the general din, and Yusei watched carefully; the voice came from one of two people, a man and a woman, both heavily muscled, likely from steroids. Their target was a slender boy with tangled black hair, his eyes drawn wide in terror and confusion. "You're stuck here, same as us, so don't think you can be a snob and get away with it, got it?" The male was speaking that time.

"Sorry, um, I, ugh, no, didn't…" The kid was stammering, making things worse for himself, and his awareness of that worked like a spiral going out of control. Yusei moved in to intervene, try and diffuse the situation, when a familiar voice pushed out all other noise.

"Oh, and today was going so well too." Yusei gaped at the sight of Warden Takasu; his base tone over the P.A. had suggested a large body, but he was beyond huge, making even the muscular prisoners harassing the slender one look slender by comparison. While not as muscle bound as them, this was clearly a man who clearly had a great deal of strength behind that mass; even a knife would likely have difficulty cutting into him. "Looks like I've got some scum to put in its place before Mr. Godwin arrives." Everyone moved away and made space for the warden, save for Yusei and the three that he was advancing upon. "Seriously, you have the worst luck ever, pissing me off this quick." Warden Takasu raised his arm and swiftly backhanded the slender boy, sending him flying and crashing into the ground face first, now a broken and bloody mess. "Provoking a fight and trying to play the victim, you should know better than that." The warden took a few steps and kicked the boy, causing him to roll until he was flat on his back. "Now, just look me in the eye and tell me that you're sorry, and maybe I'll let a doctor see you; does that sound unreasonable to you?"

"That's enough." Yusei didn't give a damn about long term plans and survival; what was the point of it if he had to stand by and do nothing when something like this was happening right in front of him? He didn't even notice the burning sensation on his right arm as the Dragon Mark manifested. "You've proven your point, so let him go."

"Huh?" Warden Takasu looked down at Yusei disinterestedly. "Eh, you're no one, I can see it in your eyes, all broken and everything. You can posture all you like but…gah!" He whipped around with surprising speed for his size, revealing a shallow burn on his back. "Oh, so you're one of them psychic freaks, eh? Oh, hiding that was a major mistake, I'm not going to be gentle like before." Yusei could barely see the boy holding up a Hinotama card in his hand before it crumbled away. Then the pain in his arm grew too great for him to ignore, forcing him to his knees as he tried to make it stop.

"Warden Takasu, your time has come." A robed woman with a white mask emerged, but from where Yusei could not say.

* * *

><p>Somewhere, somewhere in this den of sin was their target, and now it would all be ruined, all because Akira had to get himself noticed, reveal that he was a Psychic Duelist. At the very least he had the sense to not crouch behind her and give away everything. Nothing could ever make Aki doubt Divine's plans, but she could doubt him. "My time has come?" Warden Takasu looked upon her warily, evaluating the threat she posed to him. "Don't know what the hell the Black Rose Witch is doing here, but if I can bag you, toy with you a bit, and then hand you over to Godwin, than this'll be the best day in my life." He held his arm out, and his underlings understood. They brought him his duel disc and put it on for him. "All right, let's see how this goes." He armed his duel disc, she did the same, and everyone moved as far towards the walls as they could, crowding and pressing and squeezing against one another. A few had to be pulled away from gaping like idiots.<p>

"Turn 1, 4000 life points left." Takasu's Duel Disc called out.

"I'm going to start by summoning Steelswarm Caller in attack position." A tar black humanoid moth appeared before Takasu, dwarfed by its summoner's mass and possessed 1700 attack points. "Now, I set all the rest of the cards in my hand, and end my turn."

"Turn 2, 4000 life points left." Aki's duel disc called out.

The murmuring of the crowd, so many calling for her death or worse, they would not be spared either. "I summon Nettles in attack position." A group of vicious, gremlin-like plants gathered at Aki's feet, snarling and hissing at the crowd, though with only 1200 attack points they could do nothing against Steelswarm Caller. "Now I activate the Field Spell Card, Black Garden." She felt her energy suffusing the Solid Vision, thick dark-green brambles erupting from the ground and forming a dome around her and her opponent. Black roses tinted with purple bloomed all around them. "Finally, I set one card to end my turn."

"Turn three." The sound of the crowd outside desperately trying to claw their way onto the inside to try and see what was happening, arms and hands poking through whatever open space they could find. Aki focused, causing the brambles to clamp down on the intruders. They did not try again.

"Permanent Trap Card, Corrosive Contagion." A thick purple ooze manifested behind Warden Takasu, rising steam causing the roses behind to wilt and rot away. "I can return a Steelswarm monster in my hand or on my field to my deck, and take any Steelswarm monster I want." He returned the card he just drew to his deck, and as he took his new card a monster emerged from the ooze, twice the size of Steelswarm Caller, one arm ending in a cannon and a long tail that ended with a fringed opening. "By sacrificing one Steelswarm monster, I can summon the level seven Steelswarm Girastag!" Caller molted away until nothing was left as Girastag leapt from the ooze, towering over even Takasu's frame.

"Black Garden's effect." The brambles reached out and ensnared Girastag, forcing it down to its knees. It struggled back to its feet, but the vines did more then pull at it. "Any monster summoned will have its attack power reduced by half," Girastag dropped from 2600 to 1300, "and a Rose token is summoned to the opponent's side of the field in attack position." With vital fluids and energies drained from Girastag, the Black Garden bloomed bright red, concentrating that new life at Aki's side."

"How cute; you're gonna love what's gonna happen next, you witch; when Steelswarm Caller is sacrificed for the summon of a high-level Steelswarm monster, I get to special summon a level-four or lower Steelswarm monster from my deck. I'll go ahead and take Genesoid." A creature like a slug covered in armored platelets emerged, and was quickly subjugated, the Black Garden growing ever stronger. "And now I'll go ahead and activate Girastag's effect; once per turn, I can send a card you control to the grave and recover one thousand life points. I think I'll go for that face-down card of yours, the only one on your field that matters." Girastag whipped around and lashed out its tail at Aki's card, latching onto it and absorbing it to secrete life-filling goo to raise Takasu's life points. "I'm betting that was the lynch-pin of your little plan, wasn't it? Now you're stuck with nothing but a bunch of weak little nothings. How do you plan on stopping me from stomping all over them?" He grinned with a face that was built for it, all teeth, sharp and crushing.

"I've already done so. You've wasted your opportunity against me."

"Oh yeah? Girastag, destroy Nettles!" It lifted its left arm and fired its cannon, destroying Aki's monster for 100 points of damage…and then one of the Rose Tokens erupted, revealing the reborn Nettles.

"When Nettles would be destroyed, I can destroy another Plant monster I control in its place."

"And I bet you think the rest of your monsters are safe from my weakened Genesoid, right? Wrong! I activate Means of Infestation and send Steelswarm Scout from my deck to the grave to increase Genesoid's attack power by eight hundred points until the end phase, more than enough to deal with the other Rose token." A beetle like monster appeared before Genesoid for a moment, and only a moment, before it was consumed for its strength. The heavy slug flowed up to Aki's Rose and smothered it in its acidic body for 500 points of damage. "All right, let's see what you can pull off now, Witch."

"Turn 4, 3400 life points left." The arrogance in his eyes was shining, he truly believed himself superior to her, that this superiority gave him the right to do whatever he wanted.

"I summon Bud of Vengeance." Vines wrapped around a thorn covered bud, just the same as with Warden Takasu's monsters, gifting him with a rose of his own. "Now I tune the level four Bud of Vengeance to my level two Nettles." The Nettles gibbered as they became a pair of green rings, surrounding the four stars that were once part of the Bud of Vengeance. "Fire that burns deep underground, emerge now the true power of life." A brilliant, blinding flash of light that only barely escaped the confines of the Black Garden.

"Synchro Summon! Appear, Burning Root Witch!" A figure like an effigy now stood before Aki, its mass covered in masks each depicting a face twisted and torn. It too was brought down by the Black Garden's curse, and another Rose Token appeared. "Now that it has been sent to the grave, Bud of Vengeance's effect activates, destroying one monster on your side of the field." The Bud burst beneath Genesoid and captured it with its thorns before dragging it down beneath the dirt. "Now I activate the Burning Root Witch's effect." The whole of its body began to burn white, lashes of fire wrapping around both of Takasu's Rose Tokens. "Once per turn, I can destroy all other plant monsters on the field and inflict six hundred points of damage for each one, but in turn Burning Witch Root can't attack."

The fires built up larger and larger, consuming the whole of their respective fuel sources until they exploded. Fire washed across the Warden's body, causing him to scream out in unbridled pain. "That is only a sample of what you have inflicted, Warden; you will not survive the brutality of your sins."

"Oh ho ho ho, is that how it is you little witch? A man does his job, his duty, follows orders to the letter and the spirit, keeps everything in line, keeps the whole machine of society going, and then you show up out of nowhere to tear it all down, and that makes me the bad guy and you the good guy? Hah! You're just a sadistic terrorist, nothing more."

"Your words are as empty as your convictions, and just as easy to twist." Despite what she said, she could feel memories clawing their way to the surface, called out by his declarations of duty. She slammed down on them, refused them. "I activate Mark of Rose and remove Bud of Vengeance in my grave to take control of Girastag." The rose mark appeared on Girastag's forehead, or at least the nearest approximation thereof.

"Trap card, Infestation Wave." Another wave of purple ooze appeared and washed over Girastag. "I can return a Steelswarm Monster that I sacrifice summoned to my hand and destroy one card you control. Goodbye, Burning Root Witch." Girastag raised his canon and fired, spraying Aki's monster with a putrid acid that dissolved it into nothing.

"Burning Root Witch's effect activates." A trio of thick brown brambles erupted on Takasu's side of the field, each one emitting a terrible heat. "When targeted and destroyed by a card effect, three Burning Root tokens are special summoned to your side of the field, and with Black Garden's effect, I gain three Rose tokens. Now, I activate Black Garden's effect and send it along with all three of my Rose tokens to the grave, their combined attack power equal to Burning Root Witch's, in order to special summon it back from the grave." The Black Garden collapsed all around the duelists, the audience desperately keeping away to avoid being crushed and maimed. Burning Root Witch's resurrection kept the effect going, its radiant heat enough to keep all interlopers at bay. "Newly summoned, I activate its effect once more."

Whips of fire wrapped around Warden Takasu's monsters and burned high, scorching even the ceiling before collapsing down upon him for 1800 points of damage. "I set one card, and end my turn."

"Turn 5, 2000 life points left." Warden Takasu's Duel Disc called out.

"You think I don't know that you stupid machine!" Warden Takasu roared at his duel disc, drawing the attention of his underlings. He cleared his throat and drew his card. "First off, I activate Corrosive Contagion Infestation's effect and return Girastag in my hand to my deck to add Steelswarm Hercules in its place. Next, since I control no monsters, I special summon Steelswarm Cell from my hand." Like a warped ladybug it flew onto the field, its mouth round and open in complete defiance of the genuine article. "Next, I activate my trap card, Ripple of Infestation, and pay five hundred life points to bring back Genesoid." The slug writhed and wriggled out from yet more ooze. "With Genesoid's effect to be counted as two sacrifices, I can use both my monsters to fulfill the three sacrifices required to summon Steelswarm Hercules!"

Steelswarm Hercules possessed a towering imperial presence, easily three or four times the size of its summoner, gold and black chitin covering its body, hooks and claws and spurs all over it, testifying to its 3200 attack power. "Now, I activate its effect; once per turn, I can pay half my life points to destroy all other cards on the field." Steelswarm Hercules swept its arms out and released a dome of energy that disintegrated all other Solid Vision constructs, both Aki's and his own. "Let's see if this can't crack that damn mask of yours; Hercules, attack directly!" Faster than the eye could follow, Steelswarm Hercules punched with a fist larger than its target, shockwaves spreading out and bowling over those who had moved in too close. Yet Aki stood her ground.

"Turn 6, 200 life points left." As Aki reached for her deck, her grave began to glow.

"When The Lord's Will is destroyed and sent to the grave, during my draw phase I can choose one card from my deck and add it to my hand." She reached for a card six steps down from the top. "I summon Twilight Rose Knight and activate its effect to special summon Bloody Blackberries from my hand." A young maiden with blade in hand, a sickly figure covered in blood and berry leaves. "I tune the level four Bloody Blackberries to my level three Twilight Rose Knight."

Three rings, four lights. "Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into Bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!" The proof, nay, the source of her name, appeared before all. "When Bloody Blackberries is sent to the grave, your monster is switched to defense position." A pair of hands pulled down on Hercules as eyes filled with vendetta stared down into its soul. "Now, I remove Bloody Blackberries in my grave from play to activate Black Rose Dragon's effect, switching your monster back to attack position and reducing its attack power to zero." Black Rose Dragon shot out vines to force Hercules into position, exposing its weakness fully.

Warden Takasu could not move, just like his monster. He turned his head towards his subordinates. "Stop her you fools, shoot her!" Their guns remained in their holsters. Then he yelled to all the prisoners. "The first one to take her down gets an immediate pardon!" The Black Rose Dragon flapped its wings, pushing all witnesses against the walls, unable to move.

"You who know only power and how to abuse it, perish in a storm of cold fire." Black Rose Dragon opened its maw and unleashed its breath weapon, punching through Steelswarm Hercules as though it wasn't even there. The fire consumed him, shredded and flayed him as its power continued past him towards the main exit, shattering the gates.

"Let's get out of here!" One prisoner yelled, and soon a stampede was making its way out, and somewhere in that confused jumble of human refuse was the one that Aki had been sent to retrieve, lost.

* * *

><p>"Everything set?" Mukuro confirmed the presence of all the cards in his deck, the same as Yusei after they raided the office where confiscated items were held. "Well Yusei, it's been real. If we ever see each other again, I'll buy you a drink!" That was the last thing Mukuro said before he ran off to evade recapture by Security forces. Yusei himself went in the opposite direction, towards the tallest buildings. For hours he ran, jumped, dived, rolled, and climbed over walls, fully aware that the marker on his cheek would inexorably lead to his re-capture. Eventually his throat became too dry, his stomach too pained, all his muscles strained, and so he collapsed, unconscious, with no idea where he was or where he would go next.<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

**A Guiding Spirit**

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><p>Ruka kept watch over him, the man her dreams had guided her to; she and Rua had found him in the alleyway just outside their building, unconscious but otherwise unharmed. When they saw the Criminal Marker on his face, Rua alternated between freaking out and gushing about how cool it all was, but ultimately he helped Ruka put him in the wheelchair that they'd borrowed and covered him with a blanket so as to hopefully keep people from recognizing him; the dream was very insistent that no one could know who he was, that if asked he was a sickly relative who needed his rest. For the few people who were out and about, this was good enough, especially since they were familiar with Ruka's own medical history, so why not an uncle or cousin with similar problems? Now, here he was, still asleep, on their couch. His arm faintly glowed with the light of his Dragon Birthmark, just like hers was doing, and she kept staring at both of them, wondering just what it meant. Then, as he began to stir, she saw something, felt something; it was like a smooth velvety warmth overtook her, the softest blankets covering every inch of her body, gentle hands holding her as they whispered sweet assurances into her ear, the scent of chamomile and the taste of honey.<p>

"What's wrong?" Ruka realized that he was awake now, he was looking at her, and that there were tears running down her cheeks. How long had it been since she'd last cried? Had she ever cried before? Not like this, not with such melancholy.

"I'm sorry. I just…" What was she supposed to say? That she'd spied on his dreams about his mother? It didn't matter that she didn't mean to, if he knew he would be furious, people didn't want their deepest selves spied on, Ruka had learned that early and hard. "I just…was thinking, if we had a mom…" She felt his hand on her cheek wiping away her tears, he'd taken off his glove to do so; his hand felt rough, calloused, and carried the scent of motor oil and transmission fluids. No one in the Tops smelled like that, not even the mechanics.

"You don't have to apologize." He withdrew his hand and put his glove back on. "You were very kind to bring me here." He slowly stood back up, wincing as he put pressure on his legs; he must have been running for a very long time before she and Rua had found him. "Where is here? And who are you?"

"We're on the top floor of the Jacob Tower in the Tops district." Somehow reciting brute details like those helped cease the flow of tears from her eyes. "I'm Ruka, my brother and I live here by ourselves, he's taking the wheelchair back to the basement, he should be back soon."

"Ah." She could see that he'd wondered how two small children could have carried him so far. He looked all around at the paintings on the walls, the hardwood floor, the LED light bulbs, and the flat-screen TV. "Who pays for all this?"

"I'm not sure; a man comes by every so often to give us a check, but Rua's usually the one who talks to him." She was often asleep when he came, and while Rua said he was dressed like a clown with big pointed ears, she figured that he just made that part up to entertain her. "That's just for food and stuff like that; most of this has always been here."

"I see." The man looked pensive, and it made Ruka wonder just what he'd done to earn that Criminal Marker; had he just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, or had he stolen something, hurt someone? Her dream didn't say, just that she had to find him and keep him hidden from the people who were looking for him. "I haven't eaten in a while." He was gripping at his stomach, plainly feeling a cramp; Ruka couldn't help staring, she'd never seen anything like it, all the people around her always had plenty of food.

"You can have whatever you want from the refrigerator." Ruka pointed towards the Kitchen.

"Thank you." He went off and she followed, keeping him in her sight. She watched as he took out a quart of milk and started drinking it straight, not bothering with a glass. Then he took out some deli meat, ham, and ate it in the same way with his hands, not taking the time to make a sandwich. Despite his haste, he ate and drank neatly, avoiding a mess. Then he looked at the calendar on the wall. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

The way he asked the question, it sounded like he wasn't really sure, like school was something he'd only heard of and had never experienced himself. "Rua and I get tutored online." He paused and nodded; maybe he had someone who tutored him, it was hard to say. "Sometimes kids from school come over, but…" Ruka found herself gripping her arm, covering her Dragon Birthmark with her hand. Was that why she was being so open with him, even though she didn't even know his name?

"I shouldn't have pried." He made his way out of the kitchen and towards the front door. "Thank you for everything; when your brother gets back, let him know." Ruka wanted to tell him to stop, that he had to stay, that he would be safe in their apartment, that she still had so many more questions she wanted to ask, yet her voice remained trapped in her throat. He opened the door, and there stood her brother Rua.

"Woah, you're up already!" He looked around nervously in an exaggerated, energetic fashion before jumping into the room and slamming the door shut behind him. "Man, you must be tough as nails or something, you were really out of it when we found you."

"Rua." Now this was a mood Ruka was much more familiar and comfortable with, irritation at how rude her brother could be. The way he flinched showed that he knew he screwed up.

"I mean, I'm glad you're okay, sir." He bowed stiffly, so Ruka relented in her glare.

"Sir?" A smirk appeared on the man's face. "Just call me Yusei."

"Yusei, huh? That's a pretty cool name." Rua walked around and took a seat on the couch. "So, did you thank Ruka yet? She's the one who found you before anyone else did, so no one else knows you're here, and Security can't come up this high unless someone lets them, so you can hang out here as long as you want."

"Is that so?" Yusei turned to Ruka. "Thank you." Tension seemed to dissipate all around him, as though he'd just put some terrible weight down.

"You're welcome." Ruka bowed in appreciation and sat down alongside her brother. "So what do you think you'll do while you're here?"

"I suppose I'll take care of the cooking and cleaning, things like that."

"What!" Rua shouted as he slammed his hands onto the coffee table. "No way, nuh uh, you're our guest, you're not doing any of that stuff." Ruka glared at Rua as he fumed, refusing to give ground.

"I can't just sit around here watching TV."

"All right, tell you what; while here, you're going to be my dueling tutor!" Rua stood up and pointed his finger at Yusei's deck dramatically.

"You duel?" Yusei looked down at Rua quizzically. For a moment Ruka could have sworn that she saw a different boy in Yusei's eyes, one with long, fluffy red hair.

"You bet, and I watch all of the King's riding duels all the time and I record them so I can watch them again, so you know I'm serious about this."

"The King?" Ruka could see it plainly, his feelings were so clear; he knew the King, he was the one who escaped the Satellite and challenged the King to a duel.

"Yeah." Rua said, unaware of Ruka's realizations. "It's a good thing too, 'cause he hasn't been in a duel ever since that jerk broke in from the Satellite and tried to take him out. Hey, maybe after you get done teaching me all the tricks you know, I can get revenge for Jack and maybe even ride under his wing." Ruka sighed, her brother was already lost in his own little word that bore little to no relation to the real one.

"…As I understand it, he defeated the trespasser soundly."

"Uh, yeah, of course he did." Rua and his fantasy deflated before them both. "But obviously something went wrong, 'cause why else would he stop dueling? So c'mon Yusei, help me out here so I can get better real fast?"

"What about Ruka? Can't you practice with her?"

"Uh, well, the thing of it is, is, uh…" Rua's voice drifted off. He looked to Ruka.

"I always win." That much was true, but then Yusei started looking her in the eye. She tried to make her message clear on her face; please don't pry, please don't ask, just, please.

"All right then." Yusei took another look at the clock. "Let's at least have lunch first, then Rua and I will duel."

"Yeah!"

* * *

><p>"All right, this should work." Rua had just finished going over his deck for the third time; he knew every card like the back of his hand, each spell and trap was like an extension of his arms and legs, he could feel how each and every one of his monsters wanted to fight, he was ready! "Just got to impress Yusei, show him my stuff, and I'll be on my way to the King's side in no time." He took one last reverent look at his Jack Atlas action figure that he kept in his room, safe and secure, and he ran out onto the balcony where Yusei was adjusting the Duel Disc Ruka had given him. "You ready there Yusei?" Rua said as he paced in place like a boxer.<p>

"Just a moment." Yusei finished the adjustments and could now comfortably wear the duel disc without cutting off circulation to his hand. Then he armed it, and Rua did likewise.

"Duel start." Their duel discs called out at the same time.

"Why don't you go first Yusei?" Rua already had it all pictured in his mind, how he was going to crush through all of Yusei's defenses and get him right in the chest, and how Yusei was going to be so amazed at how good he was.

"All right." Yusei drew his next card. "I summon Shield Warrior in defense position, and then set two cards to end my turn."

"Turn 2, 4000 life points left." Rua grinned, Yusei was starting on the defensive!

"All right, first I activate Deformer Speed Unit; by returning a Deformer monster from my hand to my deck, I can destroy one card on the field and draw one card." As he returned Deformer Cameran to his deck, a strange sort of jet engine swooped down onto the field, crashing into Shield Warrior and blowing both up as Rua claimed his new card. "Next, I summon Deformer Mobilephone in attack position." At first it looked like an oversized yellow cellphone, but then it started whirring and unfolding, and before long it had transformed into a humanoid robot with 100 attack points. "When in attack position, I can activate its effect." The numbers on its chest lit up one after another, settling on a four. "I pick up the top four cards of my deck, and if there's a level-four or lower Deformer among them, I can special summon it and return the rest of the cards to my deck." A tense moment passed and Rua pulled out the cards from his deck.

"Yes! I special summon Deformer Radion in attack position, and its effect increases each of my monster's attack powers by 800 points." A large radio appeared on the field, and it too transformed into its humanoid, robotic form. It held up an earphone which emitted sub-sonic soundwaves, infusing itself and Deformer Mobilephone with energy, increasing Mobilephone's attack power to 900, and its own to 1800. "All right Yusei, I hope you're ready, 'cause I'm about to bring it!" Rua started swinging his arm around and around, as though winding himself up. "Go, Mobilephone!" He thrust his fist out and Deformer Mobilephone mimicked the action, aiming for Yusei's stomach.

"Trap card, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow." A shoddy construct arose from the ground to absorb the impact of Deformer Mobilephone's attack. Its duty done, the Scrap-Iron Scarecrow reset itself onto Yusei's side of the field.

"Rgh, Radion, clean his clock!" Rua yelled out, and his monster whipped its headphone on a rope.

"Trap card, Defense Draw." Radion's attack was blocked by an invisible barrier as Yusei drew a card from his deck. "Is that everything?" Yusei asked with a tone that Rua wasn't used to, one that took him a moment to even recognize; it was a tone of understanding and patience, straightforward patience without frustration.

"Heh, getting scared?" Rua postured, not knowing what else to do; heck, maybe Yusei was trying to pull some super-complicated trick or something like that. "You should be, 'cause now I'm going to equip Deformer Radion with Deformer Cord." A USB cord materialized and slotted itself into Radion's side. "Now I'm done; bet you can't wait to see Deformer Cord in action, right?"

"Turn 3, 4000 life points left." Yusei's duel disc spoke, while he himself looked sternly at Rua.

"Were you worried about what my cards did?" Rua flinched again. "If you're only aware of your own cards, then it doesn't matter what they do." Yusei drew his card. "I summon Speed Warrior, and then sacrifice it to special summon Turret Warrior with 2100 attack points." Turret Warrior stomped onto the field and aimed its guns at Deformer Mobilephone.

"Oh yeah? Well, here's what Gadget Driver does!" Rua discarded the card in question from his hand and a robotic screwdriver appeared on the field. "When I discard this card, I can switch the battle positions of any Deformer monsters I control, and I switch both of them." Mobilephone and Radion were quickly switched back into their appliance forms, and the Deformer Cord attached to Radion began to glow. "And now that Radion's battle position has changed, Deformer Cord's effect activates to destroy one spell or trap card on the field, and I think I'll be taking out that Scrap-Iron Scarecrow of yours." A lash of energy struck Yusei's card, shattering it.

At the same time, Turret Warrior's attack finally reached Deformer Mobilephone, and while it was destroyed, Rua himself remained untouched. "That was good Rua, you protected yourself and you got rid of my trap card. But at the same time, you've put yourself in a bit of a bind."

"Why, you got some spell or trap in mind to turn things around?"

"No, I don't. I end my turn."

"Turn 4, 4000 life points left." Rua furrowed his eyebrows in confusion; was Yusei trying to pull some sort of Zen riddle on him or was he just bluffing? Rua shook his head, all he had to do was to take down Turret Warrior and he'd be set.

"My turn!" Rua drew his card and grinned. "First, I activate Deformer Repair Unit, discarding a Deformer monster from my hand to special summon one from the grave and equip it with this card, and it just so happens I'm allowed to special summon the monster I just discarded, so here comes Deformer Magnen in attack position." A large horseshoe magnet clanged onto the field before assuming its humanoid form. "Next, I'll go ahead and summon Deformer Magnen I to the field, also in attack position." A bar magnet appeared, and then turned on itself such that it resembled a crude battleship. "Now, if I control exactly two other attack position monsters, I can activate Magnen I's effect and add their combined attack power to it, but in turn it's the only one that can attack. So, all I have to do is switch Radion to attack position and…what the?" Deformer Cord began to glow. "But, you don't have any spells or traps on the field, what gives?"

"Remember what you said, Rua."

"What I said…Oh no!" Rua gave himself a bop on the head as he realized where he screwed up, Deformer Cord's effect activated automatically and didn't care about where on the field the card was. "Fine, I'll let Deformer Cord destroy itself." Deformer Cord erupted in an explosion of sparks. "That's okay though, 'cause between Radion's and Magnen I's effect, Magnen I gains an attack power of 4300." Magnen I loomed over the field, casting a deep shadow over all. "Magnen I, attack Turret Warrior and show it whose boss!" Electric energy coursed along Magnen I's length and then it all rained down on Turret Warrior, hammering the surrounding ground, creating craters and pushing Yusei back several feet.

Yet when the smoke cleared, Turret Warrior survived, the phantasmal image of Shield Warrior standing before it. "When a monster would be destroyed in battle, I can remove Shield Warrior in the grave from play to prevent that." Shield Warrior's image faded, and Rua began to grimace.

"Ah, crap! Magnen I's effect ends during the end phase and I don't have any more cards left to play." He frantically paced in place as though this would somehow change the situation.

"Calm down." Yusei's voice was firm, but not recriminating. It achieved the desired effect. "This is just a regular duel, nothing important is on the line, so just try to learn, so you don't make the same mistake when you can't afford to."

"Yusei…" Rua just stared silently, for the first time taking in how very little he knew about Yusei and his history, and how truly strange it was for a man like him to be indulging something as stupid and childish as this. "I end my turn." Magnen I shrank down and down until it was the same size as the rest of Rua's monsters.

"Turn 5, 1800 life points left." Yusei's duel disc called out, its mechanical tone unaffected. He drew his next card.

"I summon The Calculator." A small red robot not unlike Deformer Mobilephone appeared on the field. "Its attack power is equal to 300 times the total combined level of all the monsters I control; with the level 5 Turret Warrior on the field, that amounts to 2100 attack points." The attack total appeared on the readout that served as The Calculator's face, and it spread its hand out as it gathered electricity between its fingers. "The Calculator, attack Deformer Radion." Yusei's monster fired a lightning bolt at Rua's, frying it out for 300 points of damage. With Radion's subsonic power no longer feeding the rest of Rua's monsters, their attack powers were restored to their original values. "Turret Warrior, destroy Deformer Magnen I." Rua took another 2000 points of damage, and what was worse, Deformer Repair Unit would keep him from switching Deformer Magnen to defense position.

"Next turn I'm a sitting duck." Rua muttered to himself as he ducked his head down into his chest.

"You still have another card to draw." Rua raised his head. "You may lose here, but you still have a chance. Just…don't give up."

"…You got it, Yusei." Rua stood his ground, swore that no matter what, he would not cry.

"I set one card, and end my turn."

"Turn 6, 1700 life points left." Rua drew his card with trepidation. Upon seeing what it was, he leaped high into the air with exuberant joy.

"All right Yusei, it's time for you to see what this deck of mine's really made of! I summon Deformer Scopen in defense position." A rather large microscope appeared on the field. "When in defense position, its level changes from three to four, and since it's a tuner monster, I can send it and my level three Deformer Magnen to the grave for a Synchro Summon!" Four rings enveloped three stars of light.

"Docking strength with courage to protect the world's peace! Synchro Summon! Envoy of love and justice, Power Tool Dragon!" A screwdriver for one arm, a shovel for the other, the Power Tool Dragon lived up to its name. "Now I activate its effect and choose three equip spell cards from my deck, and then you pick one at random to add to my hand while the other two get returned to my deck." Rua went over his deck carefully, making sure that no matter which card he got, he'd be ahead of Yusei. Eventually Yusei pointed to the one on the left. "All right." Rua put the other cards back and waited for his duel disc to automatically re-shuffle his cards. "Now I equip Power Tool Dragon with Break! Draw!" Power Tool Dragon's tools were replaced with hammers. "Power Tool Dragon, attack The Calculator!" The monster fired thrusters set beneath mechanical wings and pounded Yusei's monster into the ground for 200 points of damage. "And now with Break! Draw!'s effect, I get to draw one card after destroying your monster." He did so. "All right, I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 7, 1600 life points left." Rua was feeling confident again, and he was really glad that he had an opponent who encouraged him, instead of mocking him or sighing in reminder of how weak he was. This time was going to be different, he knew it.

"I summon Junk Synchron to the field and activate its effect to special summon Speed Warrior in defense position. Then I send both of them to the grave for a Synchro Summon." Three rings, two lights.

""The stars come together to call forth a new power! Become the path that lights the way! Synchro Summon! Come, Junk Warrior!" As Yusei's monster descended onto the field, he activated his trap card. "By chaining Graceful Revival to Junk Warrior's summon, I bring back The Calculator in attack position and give its attack power to Junk Warrior; The Calculator's effect will raise its own attack power to 3600, which gives Junk Warrior a total of 5900 attack points."

"5900!" Crap, Factory of 100 Machines would only give Power Tool Dragon 1000 attack points, nowhere near enough to pull through.

"And now I activate Double Cyclone, selecting one spell or trap card I control, and one you control, destroying both." A column of wind shredded Yusei's Graceful Revival, taking The Calculator with it.

"I activate my Quick-Spell card, Factory of 100 Machines!" The spirits of Rua's five fallen Deformers appeared and were absorbed into Power Tool Dragon, each one raising its attack power by 200 points. Then the wind came and obliterated the card to no effect.

"Rua, are you ready?" Rua braced himself, nodded. He wasn't going to cry, he wasn't going to cry, he wasn't going to cry… "Junk Warrior, attack!" Junk Warrior punched, Power Tool Dragon blocked with its hammers, and while they shattered, it survived. But the shockwaves generated by 2600 points of damage was more than enough to bowl Rua over flat on his back.

Rua looked up at the sky and saw how distorted it looked. He raised his hand to his cheek. "Crap." After all that, all the encouragement and everything, he was crying like a stupid baby in front of Yusei. "Every time…" His voice drifted off as he saw Yusei standing over him, holding his hand out to him.

"You okay?" Rua took his hand and stood back up.

"Yeah, I am." He sniffled and quickly rubbed away the rest of his tears. "I just, every time I lose, I cry. It's so stupid, but I can't help it, just like Ruka can't…!" Crap! Yusei was going to be suspicious, he was going to figure it out, Ruka was going to be so mad at him…

"Don't worry, you'll get past this; you and your sister are stronger than you realize." Yusei then walked back into the apartment, leaving Rua alone with his thoughts.


	9. Chapter 9

The First Layer…

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><p>"Where is he, Rex?" Jack Atlas stormed his way into Rex Godwin's office, Mikage following steadily from behind. Rex Godwin, Director of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, was seated behind his desk examining three holographic monitors simultaneously. He looked up at Jack with heavy rings under his eyes. He stood up, tall and well-built with a powerful frame, sharp features and white hair draped down the back of his head and behind his shoulders. Even Jack Atlas had to look up at a man like that. "It's been almost a week now, you have to have some idea where he is!"<p>

"Jack." His voice was heavy and weary, coarse with age. "There are dozens of violent criminals loose in Neo Domino City who are certain to disrupt this carefully managed utopia, and even with the aid of their Criminal Markers, locating and apprehending them all is a significant task. Minor criminals like your friend are not a priority."

Jack slammed his hand down onto Rex Godwin's desk. "He is no friend of mine! That bastard Yusei, he can't be allowed to get away with what he tried to pull." Yusei's accusation continued to run around in circles within Jack's mind, etching a groove into his subconscious. Nothing he did displaced those thoughts, memories. "He needs to go back to the Detention Center, he needs to understand that there are consequences!"

Jack noticed Rex Godwin's silent gaze boring into him and felt as though the layers of his psyche were being peeled away. "How long has it been since your last Riding Duel?" Jack remained silent, an attempt at defiance. "The correct answer is too long; as I mentioned before, it is taking us significant time and energy to apprehend the escaped criminals, and if the people should become aware of this fact, it would lead to a dangerous unrest among the populace. Your duty, as the King of Riding Duels, is to be the living opiate of the masses, the circus to go along with their bread and keep them content. You understood this when I arranged for your entry into Domino City; while I am loathe to replace you, it can be done Jack. You are not special."

Jack snarled and pulled down the sleeve of his shirt, revealing the Dragon Birthmark on his arm. "If you have another Signer on hand to replace me, I'd like to meet him." Jack then remembered the end of the duel, how that invisible force interfered with his final attack, and how the Dragon Birthmark burned itself onto Yusei's arm. For a moment he contemplated Rex offering Yusei the chance to replace him, and dismissed it just as quickly; beyond being a failure, someone as stubborn as Yusei would never work for someone like Rex. Then he saw Rex rub at his brow and seized upon it. "If you want me to duel again to keep the system going, you are going to find Yusei Fudo, now."

For an instant Jack saw a cold metal gleam in Rex Godwin's eyes like the edge of a knife. "Fudo is that important to you?"

"He is as a thorn in my side, little more. I just wish for this irritation to be resolved so that I can resume my life the way it was meant to be right from the beginning."

"And it will Jack, you and I will make sure of that. You do your part for the city, and the city shall act in kind."

"That's all I ask Rex." Jack smiled and extended his hand to Rex. He took it, they shook, and Jack turned around. "We are done here Mikage."

"Of course Jack." She moved to follow after him.

"Actually, I have a few questions for you." Mikage turned her head back towards Rex, then back to Jack.

"Go right ahead." Jack waved her off. "I'll see you back at the mansion after my duel is done." He entered the elevator and watched the doors close before him taking him down.

* * *

><p>"Why is Jack so worked up over the intruder?" Mikage breathed in deep through her nose; all jobs had their unpleasant parts, this was hers.<p>

"As I understand it, they were old friends back in the Satellite." While Jack's public image and official history had him growing up in the Daimon Area, Mikage had to know the truth in order to effectively perform her job. "He'd been waiting for this Yusei Fudo ever since he first came here, but whatever it was that went wrong, I can't say."

"Did he swear you to secrecy?"

"No sir, he's simply not spoken about it at all."

"Has he? He's not said or done anything in your presence that would give you an idea of what is running through that head of his? You've spent the past two years working with him."

Mikage breathed in deep once more. "If I must hazard a guess, I would say that he is feeling guilty. If speculation is required, I would suggest that Yusei's sense of betrayal was greater than Jack had anticipated. If this were the case, it would account for his indignation and need to see Yusei punished." Mikage was not one to hold illusions about anyone, least of all someone that she'd admired. If she were to lie to herself, gloss over the unpleasant parts when it suited her, Mikage knew she would be ill-equipped to deal with situations just like this one.

"That is your conclusion?" Mikage watched as Rex Godwin gave her words a moment's consideration. "And what do you believe should be done with Yusei once he is re-discovered?"

"Sir?"

"Jack may say that he wishes one fate for Yusei, but he can hardly be considered objective on the matter. What do you believe is in the best interest of the King of Riding Duels?"

"If I may be frank sir, another duel. For a man like him, battle is the only way for this to truly end."

"Even though he'd already won the first duel?"

"It was a clandestine midnight duel with no witnesses. A duel held in the open with thousands of screaming fans would help him to realize that he has nothing to feel guilty about, that Yusei's ingratitude is no one's fault but his own."

"You've become more confident in your speech." Mikage felt her grip tightening but said nothing; she'd given too much away as was. "I will take your ideas under consideration. You may go now."

"Thank you sir." Mikage bowed and departed from Rex Godwin's office. As she rode down the elevator, she found herself reflecting upon that day two years ago when she'd first met Jack. Having nothing else to do, she allowed those thoughts to run their course.

….

"So you're Mikage?" He stood over her, towering, the way most men did. He walked around her, examining her from every angle. "There's certainly no one like you back in the Satellite, that's for sure."

"Sir, if you would please…" Her words were interrupted by an eruption of laughter.

"Sir?" Jack rolled the word around on his tongue. "Forgive me, I haven't gotten used to being addressed in that way; 'you there' and 'Jack!' are more what I'm accustomed to."

"Well, you're going to have to get used to it, sir. If you can't handle that much, you won't be able perform your duties as the King of Riding Duels."

"Pushy, that's good; I don't think I could stand an assistant who'd fold up like a house of cards. And don't you worry, I will get used to all this." He swept his arms out as though to encompass the entirety of his new mansion. "And I'm sure you'll make sure I don't do anything stupid and piss it all away, right?"

"Jack!" Mikage yelled as her cheeks burned red, eliciting yet more laughter from Jack.

"Ah, a taste of home. Somehow, I was missing that horrible place. But enough about the past, let's start working on the future."

"Of course, Jack."

….

She was in her car now, and as she drove to the manor, she turned on the TV in it to watch Jack's duel. She thought about what they had agreed to back then, and swore that she would not allow Yusei to ruin everything.

* * *

><p>Rex Godwin waited a long time after dismissing Mikage from his office. Slowly his hands returned to his keyboard, carefully he made his way down the list of profiles, glancing upon each one until he opened up prisoner 7877's. "So you did survive." He then reached down into his desk drawer and pulled out a very old picture frame. He dusted off the glass and held the frame up next to the picture contained in Yusei Fudo's profile. The profile depicted a young man with hard, broken eyes, one who had seen many terrible things and had been impotent to do anything about them, eyes that Rex Godwin recognized whenever he looked in the mirror. He looked at the picture in the frame and saw those same eyes bright and cheery on the chubby, laughing face of a baby being held in his mother's arms reaching for her bangs. "Miyuki." Then he looked to the man who had his arms around her shoulders, hair hanging down over his right eye. "Yuu." The resemblance between father and son was uncanny, and it made Rex wonder; if the son had been the one to have been there, back at the old Momentum Research Center, would it have made a difference? "Probably not."<p>

"Mr. Godwin?" He heard Jaeger's high, inquisitive voice; he'd probably just arrived in his office. He looked and saw Jaeger's eyes upon the back of the picture frame. Rex put the frame back in its drawer.

"Jaeger, I need you to make the apprehension of prisoner Seven-Eight-Seven-Seven our top priority; once you have him in custody, he is to be brought directly to me."

"Seven-Eight-Seven-Seven…The intruder?" Jaeger took out his PDA and brought up Yusei's profile. "Did Jack pressure you?"

"No. He simply gave me cause to give the file a second look."

"I see." Jaeger punched the commands into his PDA and disseminated the orders to his subordinates. "What should I tell anyone who is curious as to the cause of this sudden change in orders?"

"Tell them that Yusei has stumbled upon classified information and is plotting to use that information to bring down the Public Security Maintenance Bureau."

"Very good sir." Jaeger entered a few more commands before putting his PDA away. "And what should I know?"

"That this may have to do with the momentary spike in the Momentum Reactor on that night."

"Is that so?" Jaeger's eyes were like dinner plates. "I will have to go out on the frontlines then. I will keep you up to date sir." Jaeger bowed and departed, leaving Rex Godwin by himself once more.

* * *

><p>"Mikage, can you believe that pathetic twerp?" Jack said between unrestrained blasts of laughter. "A Normal Monster deck, he actually thought he could beat me with a Normal Monster deck!"<p>

"Well," Mikage's voice slurred, understandable given the drinks she'd had, "He did open with Heat Wave, keeping you from summoning anything on your turn."

"Oh, I thought the M.C. was going to explode when I ended my turn without playing a single card." Or his ear drums would rupture, one of the two.

"And when his 'game-winning attack'" Mikage made little air quotes and briefly lost her balance, "was blocked by the Battle Fader in your hand, I thought that guy was going to crash his D-Wheel in despair."

"Naturally, I wasted no time bringing out Red Demon's Dragon and obliterating all his monsters in one blow."

"And that," Mikage shook her finger in the air at no one in particular, "is why you are the King of Riding Duels and no one else, only you could have made a duel like that even halfway interesting for the crowd." Mikage stood up and wobbled her way towards the kitchen.

"Mikage." Jack put his hands down on the couch on pushed himself up a bit harder than he'd meant to; apparently he'd had a bit much to drink as well. "I think we should lay off the wine for a while."

"Oh relax, it's not like either of us have to be anywhere in the morning." Even so, she did stop, if only to smell the flowers in a nearby vase. "I got you these, right? It wasn't some random fangirl trying to get into your pants or something, right?"

"No Mikage, it was definitely you, though I wasn't aware that was why you got them."

Mikage emitted a squeak that Jack could not help finding abjectly hilarious. "No, that's not it at all, honest!" She bumped into the vase but managed to catch it before it fell over. "No, I just got it to pull the place together, honest."

"That's twice now you said honest, and you know something? You're right, it really does complete the room, it just wouldn't be the same without it."

"Yes! You get it Jack, everything has to be just right, you deserve it and you've earned it."

"So I have." Jack was suddenly pensive as he spoke. "I worked very hard to get here."

"Jack…" Mikage slowly made her way towards him.

"I'll see you in the morning." Jack turned away and went up to his room. It took him several hours to get to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Dwelling**

* * *

><p>Aki Izayoi had returned to her room at the headquarters of the Arcadia Movement after a long training session. It was a white, Spartan room containing only her bed, her cupboard, and herself. She dropped down on her back upon her bed and looked up at the ceiling, studying how flat and featureless it was, like looking up at a grey sky. It had been more than a week since the failure at the Detention Center, and though Divine said he was not upset, Aki knew in her heart that so long as his true desire remained unfulfilled, content would not return to his heart…<p>

"Aki," Divine's voice would have sounded neutral, or possibly even warm to anyone else, but Aki knew better; she had failed in her mission, failed to bring him the Signer, the one who bore the cursed mark. "I must apologize."

"No, that's not true Divine, you entrusted me with this mission, and I…" Her voice had caught in her throat.

"I had assigned Akira to you when he was still new and untested. I was aware of the risks and dangers that this would create, but I did it anyway, and as a result, our primary objective was not obtained."

"Primary?"

"I wanted your will to be entirely focused on the primary objective and so I withheld the secondary objective from you." Of course, Aki had to have been a fool of the greatest caliber to not understand that, that Divine's plans were as wheels within wheels, prepared to anticipate for every possible outcome. "A common trait among Psychic Duelists is discontent with the world around them, and those who are discontent in our "utopia" are often shipped off to the Detention Center and reeducated until that discontent has been wiped out."

"So then, the riot we caused, the outbreak of all those prisoners…"

"Has allowed us access to a population of potential Psychic Duelists who would otherwise have had their potential and gifts quashed before they could reach fruition. So, even though the Signer has eluded us at present, we have still gained considerably from your mission."

"Thank you, sir." Yet even as she said those words, Aki could feel the crawling sensation over her skin like ten thousand fire ants. "But, even so, if we allow the Signer to walk free, than Rex might…"

"As I said before Aki, there is no danger that the Signer will ever align himself to Rex Godwin's cause; he will either fight for us, or not at all."

"Then…if he were to have died, that too would have been acceptable?" Aki could feel his reproach against her eagerness, like ice burning against skin.

"I do not know what it is about this Signer that angers you so, Aki." His face became soft as he cupped hers in his hand. "Aki, this is not the face that should be hidden by the mask of the Black Rose Witch; the face hidden should be one that has accepted her sorrow and mission, even as she lays waste to a cruel world that denied her humanity." He released her face, only to place his hand over her heart. "I've worked so hard to heal you of your hurt, so that you could use your strength on the small-minded people of this city who do not deserve you. Yet I fear now that the Signer's mere existence will undo all this."

"No, you do not have to worry about that, Lord Divine." Aki stepped back, her heart about to burst from her chest. "No matter how great my curse, I will never allow it to destroy everything that we've worked so hard for." Never again, the curse had destroyed everything that had come before, everything from before Divine had locked those memories away deep within her own heart, so deep that only the faintest echo of those feelings ever made themselves known.

"We," Divine emphasized his words by putting his hand on Aki's shoulder, "will overcome your curse Aki; I will always be here for you Aki." He then placed his finger on her forehead. "Whenever you feel that you are alone, when you feel that all is overwhelming you, I will provide you with all the strength and support that you need."

"Thank you, Divine." Aki felt something halfway to a tear welling in her eye, but banished it quickly before departing from Divine's office.

* * *

><p>He'd been so strong, the foundation that she could always rely upon. Even so, Aki saw into Divine's true heart, she could see the pain he kept hidden within himself, the frustration that came from having his ideals and dreams stymied by her failure. Even if the new recruits were to all work out, which they wouldn't, the power of a Signer would have dwarfed them all. If only Akira had been able to follow orders, if only he'd been able to avoid drawing attention to himself, the one thing she would have thought him capable of…<p>

* * *

><p>"Miss Aki, please forgive me, I don't know what I can do to make it up to you, but I promise you I won't ruin things for you again." She'd been trying to eat her lunch peacefully in the Arcadia Movement's cafeteria, adjacent to the training room, when Akira had come up to her, practically prostrated himself before her in a pathetic display.<p>

"Dude, just drop it." Shino, a woman dressed in dark purple with long tapered artistic fingers, lifted her head from her bowl of soup on the next table over. "The Black Rose Witch doesn't have time for your sob stories, no sympathy."

"Not unless you're Lord Divine at any rate." Hayate, the man eating with Shino, had a heavily muscled build; likely a body-builder before his powers awoke and put an end to that. "Of course, it's not like he's got a sob story to begin with, so it's all a wash anyway."

"You should listen to your peers, Akira; it is well for you that Divine did not punish you for your failure, and that I loyally follow his wisdom in all matters. Do not press the matter any further." Aki stood up, abandoning her half-finished lunch.

"But…Miss Aki, I just want to-!"

"Enough." She'd thrust her hand out before his face, silencing him. "If my favor is that important to you, then go into the training room and do not leave until you are able to advance Divine's mission." Aki turned around and walked away, unconcerned with whether or not Akira had listened to her. She made her way on the trek back to her room, when she saw Yua and Tsubasa, fraternal twins though you wouldn't know to look at them; Yua was pale with ebony black hair and she always had her reading glasses at the ready, while Tsubasa had a heavy tan that came from working outside, probably the garden given his rough and calloused hands. They were also among the former prisoners that had escaped from the Detention Center.

"Huh, so this is what you look like without that mask and robe on." Tsubasa looked her up and down. Yua whapped him on the back of the head, he glared at her in response.

"That was part of why you were sent to the Detention Center." Obviously not all of it; it would have to have been an exceptionally high ranking woman for a wrong look to have been enough by itself.

"Whatever, you weren't far behind." Despite that though, neither seemed truly angry with one another; it was as though they were just going through the motions. "Anyway, I'm just glad you got us out of there when you did."

"The same goes for me." Yua nodded. "If you ever need any help, I promise we'll be there to return the favor."

"Your thanks should go to Divine; his will was what brought you here." Aki brusquely walked past them and entered the elevator.

* * *

><p>More and more, Aki needed more training, more focus. Distractions and failures, time wasted with the other members of the Arcadia Movement, her desire perpetually out of reach.<p>

"Why?" Aki sat up on her bed, she looked around for the source of the high, child-like voice she'd just heard. "How could you?" She got up and made her way to the door, the only place where the strange voice could have been coming from. "No!" The child shrieked, then the sound of shattering glass and concrete being torn apart; what was going on, was the Arcadia Movement under attack? Impossible, Divine would never have allowed such a thing. Aki threw the door open and was buffeted by a heat wave, a back draft; how could that be possible, sabotage? No, even if someone infiltrated the tower, Divine would have sensed them, put an end to their ambitions. Aki ducked down, trying her best to breathe what air she could. The air rippled in the heat, disorienting Aki; that had to be it, how else could she be lost in the halls that Divine had guided her down for so many years?

"Are you familiar with Omelas?" A new voice, it came from the same place that the child's voice did. It was a man, an older man, how could he be so calm in a situation like this? He was the perpetrator, the intruder, the one causing all this. Aki drew herself to her full height, she would not be cowed by vulgar displays of power. She marched through the fire, her power displacing it, keeping it from touching her. "There is always someone who will suffer for the good of all." Who was he talking to? Who was this man, what did he want? "If that suffering can be condensed to just one person, is that not virtue itself?" Who the hell was he to talk like that? Who was he hurting, betraying?

"Betraying?" Aki paused in response to her own question; how could she…how did she know that? The man was betraying someone, he was betraying the child. Such a being, such a creature, he couldn't be human! "Where are you!" Aki shouted, the fire growing yet more intense, the walls crumbling all around her. Then she saw it, the end of the hazy tunnel, a door; it was steel, covered in chains, locks all over it. It would take time for anyone to open it, but not her, she would tear it down, rip it out of its frame and toss it aside to get at that man.

"Aki, no!" Divine's voice cut through the roar of the fire, his desperation impossible to conceive. Then she felt his arms wrapped around her body from behind, shuddering sighs emanating from him. Her body responded in kind, in sympathy to his, and she saw the door vanish, leaving behind a blank wall. "I'm so sorry Aki, I was caught up in my own work, by the time I noticed…" She felt a tear drop onto her shoulder, and she fell to her knees.

"What…what was all that?" Aki looked all around and saw deep gouges in the walls, the floor, and the ceiling.

"Your memories Aki, the ones I locked away. They want to break free, they want themselves to be known, and they don't care the harm they may cause, how much they might hurt you. And because I've been keeping you here, because I've kept you from your mission, they had this chance to strike." Divine let go of Aki, and walked around her. He kneeled down to look her in the eye. "One day I will free you from your pain, we will unleash it upon this callous and uncaring world we live in, and walk away from it all in true happiness."

"Thank you, Divine." Aki wrapped her arms around him, reflecting upon his words; he was there for her, he was always there for her. Just as that man from the memories was too low and beastly to be truly human, in equal measure Divine stood above mere humans. "I promise you, I'll never let this happen again; I'll become stronger, strong enough to keep those memories at bay forever."

"I know you will Aki; you are the Joan of Arc of the Arcadia Movement; no matter what else happens, you will shake this world to its foundations. But for now, you must rest. I will have a mission for you tomorrow."

They stood silently together, Aki basking in Divine's will as it washed over her, keys turning in the locks of her heart, tumblers clicking shut and impervious. She then returned to her room, and rested peacefully.

* * *

><p>Divine sat in the plush chair in his office and let out a sigh of relief. Then he saw that he had a call waiting on the video phone. He turned it on, and was greeted by the always pleasant sight of Rex Godwin's face. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of your attention, Security Director?"<p>

There was of course, no amusement in Rex Godwin's face; true, the man was being blackmailed, forced to give him and his organization rights, powers, and privileges unthinkable for any other individual or group in Neo Domino City, but after so many years, surely they'd formed a personal connection that surpassed all that, hadn't they? "In a few days I will formally announce the holding of a tournament, The Fortune Cup. The winner of the tournament will have the right to go against Jack Atlas."

"Hmm, that is interesting Rex, but why should I care about dethroning your handpicked puppet king?"

"Because there will be a certain duelist participating in the tournament."

"The intruder? The Signer?" Ah, there was the amusement in his face, the pleasure of being the one pulling the strings for a change.

"I have two under my control, you have one. If you do not stop me, I will have three." Now Divine was the one grousing; he'd just had to perform damage control on Aki, could he really afford to deploy her there, into Rex Godwin's little trap? But to ignore it, to allow him hold of the reigns without his approval, Divine couldn't allow that either.

"Very well then, my champion verses your lackeys. May the better man win, Rex Godwin." He closed the connection, then brought up the feed from the camera in Aki's room and observed her sleeping form. "Do not fear, my Joan of Arc, I will not allow the fate of your namesake to befall you. Unlike her god, I will always take care of you, always."


	11. Chapter 11

**Demands of the Spirit**

* * *

><p>"Ruka." Ruka stopped, and noticed that she was walking in a forest, a glade; the sun was shining upon the water, and there were hummingbirds hovering over the flowers. She had been here before, in this place, a long time ago. The voice spoke again, high and powerful. "Ruka, it is time, you must be ready to fight soon." The voice was coming up from above, and so Ruka looked, and saw the monster of her soul.<p>

"Ancient Fairy Dragon." The serpentine beast flew down towards Ruka in a spiral pattern. "What do you mean, is someone going to try and hurt Rua again?" Her fear summoned Yusei's image in the water; even if he himself didn't hurt them, his criminal marker acted as a beacon for Security. It would be way too easy for one of them to get hurt in the crossfire of that pursuit.

"Rua?" Ancient Fairy Dragon tilted her head. "What does it matter if he is hurt? This has nothing to do with him, he is irrelevant." As though in illustration of the spirit's point, a falcon swooped down and snatched up a mouse with green fur, disturbing the peace of the glade not at all.

"That's not true!" Ruka shouted, refusing to give up ground to a being that she knew was part of herself. "Rua is important to me." So many memories of him trying to be strong for her, trying so desperately to keep her from getting hurt, it all gave her that sinking sensation in her stomach, that clammy on her hands. She didn't want to feel that way, never again.

"That does not matter; your battle concerns the fate of Neo Domino City and Humanity's future. You can't place him above your responsibilities as a Signer." Ancient Fairy Dragon descended, placing the length of her body around Ruka, encircling her.

"Oh yes I can." Ruka turned away, only for Ancient Fairy Dragon to move back in front of her. "I don't care what you say, Rua's the most important person in my life; I might get mean or upset with him, but there's no way I'd go out and get him hurt."

"Ruka, you have no choice in the matter." Her eyes pierced through Ruka's, it made her feel exposed, vulnerable. "You have already agreed to this battle, you can not turn away from it." Ancient Fairy Dragon's wings began to glow, their light washing out all else in the glade until only she and Ruka remained. "Remember Ruka, remember the time when we first met, when you realized I was more than art on a piece of cardboard."

The light vanished, and Ruka found herself in a park, the streetlights off and the path well paved. Everything loomed over her as though it were all scaled for giants. "Hey Ruka!" A jovial, energetic voice shook the ground, and Ruka could only stare at the gigantic, heavily built professional duelist before her. "Check it out, brand new deck, won me the regional championship. Wanna duel?"

"Yosuke Himura…" Yes, this was how he looked to her back when she was 3 years old, so huge, larger than life itself.

"Ruka!" She turned and saw Rua standing behind her, hopping up and down with a little sign in his cubby hands. "Kick his butt Ruka!" Soon he was joined by other children, some cheering for her, others for Himura. Grownups appeared as well, the parents of the other children, Even Himura's parents gleaming with pride for their son. Her's and Rua's didn't, because they didn't have any.

"Come on Ruka, take the first turn." Yosuke Himura said, arming his duel disc. The crowd had grown tight and thick all around them, there was no hope of escape, no way to avoid the battle.

"Duel Start." Ruka's duel disc called out as it armed itself, as it appeared on her arm. It should have been much tighter, it was a duel disc from nine years ago, yet it fit perfectly. Dreams never made much sense, especially when under the dictate of a spirit.

"My turn." Ruka drew her cards, looked them over. They were exactly as they were back then, the same order and everything. "I activate Terraforming to add Harvest Autumn to my hand and activate it." The park was suddenly awash in soft golden light, trees heavy with apples, pears, and peaches, soft wheat wafting in the wind, and rows upon rows of potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, and cabbages. "So long as this card is on the field, all monsters I control are also treated as Light attribute monsters. Next, I reveal Golden Ladybug in my hand to give myself 500 life points, which also activates Resilient Dryad's effect, allowing me to special summon it in defense position." A small tree sprouted before her, thin branches coiling together until they became lithe arms. The slight swell of hips and breasts, and cold eyes peering out from within the bark, Resilient Dryad glowed with the light it received from the sun.

"Now I summon Fairy Archer in defense and activate its effect, inflicting 400 points of damage per Light attribute monster I control." Fairy Archer drew her bowstring back tight as Resilient Dryad crafted an arrow from the ambient sunlight. Once preparations were complete, Fairy Archer knocked the arrow and fired straight into Yosuke's gut for 800 points of damage. "Finally, I set one card and activate Swords of Revealing Light to end my turn." Swords made of jagged, shimmering light crashed down around Yosuke, blocking any potential advance from whatever monsters he might summon.

"Turn 2, 3200 life points left."

"Wow, you really are a prodigy, aren't you Ruka?" Yosuke said with an easy laugh, yet the moment he drew his card, a hard edge appeared in his eyes. "I summon Marauding Captain, and activate its effect to special summon the tuner monster Rose Warrior of Revenge from my hand." A blond man with two swords, a red-haired woman with a curved blade, both appeared on Yosuke's side of the field. "Now I send both to the grave to Synchro Summon Seven Swords Warrior." Blade in each hand, scabbard over the shoulder, hip guards like tonfas, and long shoulder guards that came to a sharp point, the Seven Swords Warrior lived up to its name. "Now I equip it with Divine Sword Phoenix Blade, activating my monster's effect to once per turn inflict 800 points of damage to you."

Seven Swords Warrior tossed up one of its swords and watched as it transformed in the air, blade coated with fire. When it reclaimed the weapon, it swung it out, lashing the fire into Ruka's body for 800 points of damage. But then something strange happened to the fire; rather than dissipate, it moved off to the side and coalesced into a large, warm pumpkin. "Whenever I take effect damage, Harvest Garden special summons a Harvest Token with defense equal to the damage I just took."

"Huh, well isn't that clever? Yep, you definitely are a prodigy." Somehow, Yosuke seemed to grow ever larger, his body blotting out the sun and casting a shadow over everything, yet no one reacted, no one thought anything of it. "So all I got to do is break your combo, and show everyone how worthless talent really is; I activate Seven Swords Warrior's effect to once per turn send an equip card to the grave and destroy one face-up monster you control. Good-bye, Fairy Archer." Seven Swords Warrior threw Phoenix Blade at Fairy Archer, which turned into a bolt of fire mid-flight.

"Trap card activate, Progression of Time." Fairy Archer began to age rapidly. "I sacrifice a monster I control, and then special summon the first monster in my deck that I pick up." Fairy Archer decayed into dust, Phoenix Blade burned away into ash, and new life took hold. A sunflower bloomed, revealing a tiny Dancing Fairy in defense position.

"Either way I stopped your offensive in its tracks and that's what matters, you stuck up little brat." Everything pleasant and happy about Yosuke had melted away, leaving nothing behind but harsh edges and cold eyes.

"Hey, don't you call my sister a brat!" Rua yelled as he shook his sign in his fist, and somehow, he seemed to be shrinking. Everyone seemed to be shrinking, slinking away into the distant horizon.

"I'll call her whatever I like; you don't mind, do you Ruka?" She wanted to tell Yosuke that she did, she wanted to tell him that he needed to shut up and focus on the duel, but the words got caught in her throat; she didn't speak up for herself last time, and so she was unable to do it this time. "That's right, you don't care, you're a dueling machine, no feelings at all, so what do you care?" Back then she couldn't see or hear anything outside of the duel, and so that was all she could remember.

"Why?" Ruka said with short, gasping breaths. "Why are you doing this?" No answer came.

"Now, I remove from play Maruading Captain and Rose Warrior of Revenge in my grave to return Phoenix Blade to my hand, and then I set one card to end my turn."

"Turn 3, 3700 life points."

"My turn." Ruka drew her card and watched as the Dancing Fairy danced atop its flower, its effect to restore 1000 life points during her standby phase serving to renew her will. "I reveal Golden Ladybug once more to gain 500 life points. Now I activate Monster Reincarnation, discarding Golden Ladybug to return Fairy Archer to my hand, which I summon back to the field in defense position to activate its effect once more." Fairy Archer flew down onto the field, gathering the light from each of its allies, and fired the concentrated arrow right at Yosuke's chest.

"Trap card activate, Warrior's Resurgance." Seven Swords Warrior caught the arrow of light in its hand. "When I control a warrior monster, I can negate an effect that would inflict damage to me, and destroy it." Seven Swords Warrior threw the arrow like a lance and pierced Fairy Archer through the skull. "You see? For a real pro, a stall card like the Swords of Revealing Light doesn't mean a damn thing. So, still think you're better than the rest of us?"

"I…I never said that." She didn't, she hadn't, all she had done was win, all she had done was to be good at something she enjoyed, so why was he acting like this?

"You didn't have to you brat, it's all over your face, it's in your dueling. There isn't a single pro in the world who doesn't want to expose you for the fake that you are. It's just my luck that I get to do it."

"Please, stop it."

"Not until this duel's over, so the sooner you end your turn, the better."

"I end my turn." Ruka could barely stand, everything was so heavy, it was all turned in on itself, Yosuke's childish hate filled eyes loomed so large to her.

"Turn 4, 3200 life points left."

"First, I activate the permanent spell card Warrior's Surge; in exchange for not being able to summon or attack this turn, I can discard two Warrior monsters from my hand to destroy one monster you control, and prevent one monster I control from being destroyed." Gauntlet Warrior appeared next to Seven Swords Warrior and became one with it, while Sword Master dashed forward to slaughter Dancing Fairy. "Next, I equip Phoenix Blade back onto my monster, activating its effect to inflict another 800 points of damage to you." Fire lashed out once more, and once more it coalesced into a Harvest Token. "Then, I send Phoenix Blade to the grave once more, and get rid of Resilient Dryad." He did. "Finally, I remove from play Gauntlet Warrior and Sword Master in my grave from play to return Phoenix Blade to my hand. No matter what you summon next turn, it can't defeat my Seven Swords Warrior, I'll keep refueling its effect as long as I can, and once the Swords of Revealing Light are gone, Its all over. I end my turn, brat."

"Turn 5, 4400 life points left." It didn't matter how many life points Ruka had left, she had nothing else. Everything was collapsing again, everything was falling in on itself, the land itself twisted and writhed until the very sky itself was gone, nothing but endless empty land everywhere she looked.

"I am here." And there was Ancient Fairy Dragon's voice, the very moment that she'd first heard it. "I am your strength, and I will never abandon you." Ruka felt her hand move of its own accord, her arm burning as the Dragon Birthmark etched itself into place. Her hand took the top card of her deck. "Summon me, and you will always be strong. Summon me, and when the time comes you will have the power to change the future."

"Yes…" Ruka's voice was hollow, empty; she'd made the promise back then, she wanted to win, she wanted to show Yosuke that he was wrong, that he couldn't get away with saying those things about her. "I summon Sunny Pixie, and tune it to both of my level 3 Harvest Tokens for a Synchro Summon." Light filled the field as the Earth righted itself once more, the sky returned to its proper place. "The holy light of protection, shine now and become eternal life! Synchro Summon! A Regal Birth, Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Her monster was reborn into the world, her soul's strength there for all to see. "Sunny Pixie's effect gives me 1000 life points, and now I activate Ancient Fairy Dragon's effect." Ruka now spoke with an echo, fear filled the eyes of her opponent. "I send Harvest Autumn to the grave to gain 1000 life points and add Dead Winter to my hand, which I activate."

The fields froze over, the sky became grey, ice drifted through the air, breath became visible. "You who harbor hate and jealousy in your heart, may that darkness die within a frozen tomb; once per turn, I can activate Dead Winter's effect to pay half my life points to inflict an equal amount of damage to your life points, but I can't attack in the turn I activate this effect." She would not have to though, every single one of his life points froze over as hurricane force winds drained away every last bit of strength from him.

Then Ruka collapsed, and everything vanished. This was when she'd gone into a coma for a month, that was when she'd learned that Yosuke had never said all the horrible things she thought he had, he'd merely been thinking them. That was when her body started being overwhelmed by the power of her soul, and every duel left her exhausted and utterly drained. That was when she and Rua became trapped in their apartment, unable to live normal lives with other kids their age. "You understand now Ruka?" Ancient Fairy Dragon floated in the void before her.

"I do." She'd made her choice back then, she'd chosen power over peace, she needed her reputation as a prodigy more than she needed her brother; regardless of how she felt about it now, no matter how she might have changed since then, none of it mattered.

"Good. The time for battle is soon. Prepare yourself." Ancient Fairy Dragon vanished, and then she heard a voice piercing the darkness.

"Ruka! Ruka! You've got to get up!" She opened her eyes and saw her brother franticly pacing in place above her. "It's Yusei, they came and took him away!"

Ruka could only gape in horror, and hope that she could act before it was too late.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> In accordance with Yamamoto Kou's request, I'm going to briefly discuss the deck's used in this chapter and the thoughts behind them. Yosuke's deck is a Warrior deck centered around Seven Swords Warrior and fueling its effect with Divine Sword - Phoenix Blade, with the idea being that this would represent a relentless, unstoppable attack, which would have been pretty scary for a tiny, three-year old kid. Ruka's deck, in turn, is centered around the use of different Field Spell cards to control the course of the duel and to manipulate life points for critical, game ending effects; this is based on the idea that as someone with spiritual powers, her approach to dueling is indirect and difficult to anticipate. If you have any further questions, I'd be more than welcome to answer them.


	12. Chapter 12

Revelations From On High

* * *

><p>He'd been taken at the crack of dawn, a half-dozen men grabbed him from off the couch he'd been sleeping on and pressed tasers against his body. Even if he thought that there was a chance that he could fight them off, he knew it would be impossible to do so without damaging Rua and Ruka's apartment, possibly injuring them. He surrendered himself to their custody, and just as they brought him to the front door, Rua came out of his room. Yusei could see in his eyes that he wanted to fight, to keep him there with them; he understood how Rua felt, and even admired his conviction to fight against overwhelming odds, but this was not the time. "Rua." His voice stopped Rua in his tracks. Even the Security Officers stopped, waited for him to say his piece. "Thank you for taking care of me. I hope I get the chance to see you become stronger." He looked to the officers, signaled to them that he was done, and they continued their work.<p>

He was shoved into the back of a limo, where a little man in odd make-up with pointed ears was waiting for him. "So you're Yusei Fudo." The man spoke with a high voice as he looked him up and down. "I am Jaeger, vice-director of Security; would you care for a drink?" Yusei looked where the man had motioned, and saw a bottle of wine and a glass next to it.

"No thank you." No inflection, he spoke in monotone.

"I don't blame you; I'd suspect poison or some other manner of drugs." Jaeger then reached for the bottle and pored into his own glass. "Naturally, I have nothing to fear." He took a sip of his drink. "Oh, that reminds me; we still have your D-Wheel in our custody." He took out his PDA and turned it over, revealing the schematic on his D-Wheel. "It is a rather impressive piece of technical work, given the resources and education you would have had access to in the Satellite. Had you been born here in Neo Domino City, one can only imagine what you could have achieved." Jaeger closed the file and put his PDA away. "This is of course academic, your education is too woeful and limited to do anything with at this point." He paused. "You are a very quiet man, Yusei Fudo."

"You want a reaction out of me."

"Your intelligence is not just in mechanics it would seem." He took another sip of wine. "Even so, you've noticed that Security presence in the Tops is minimal and restrained, yet we came into the twins' apartment without permission. Surely you are curious as to why we've taken such extreme measures against you?"

"I'm sure I'll find out."

"You most certainly will." Jaeger took one last sip of his wine, and remained silent for the rest of the drive.

Upon arrival at their destination, Yusei was greeted by yet more suits who controlled his movements, laid down the path before him. He looked up and saw a tower so high up that he could hardly see the top of it. They brought him inside a spacious reception area. They forced him into an elevator by himself, which then automatically carried him to the top floor. The door opened. He stepped out, and into a large office with windows all around, giving him a new vantage point on the city.

"Hello Yusei Fudo; please, take a seat." Yusei Fudo, a man who'd grown up in the slums of the Satellite, now stood before Rex Godwin, the most powerful man in Neo Domino City. He was seated behind his desk, a strange look of recognition on his face.

Yusei did not do as asked. "Why am I here?"

"Because I did not know you were alive, Yusei; I believed that you had died along with your parents in the Zero Reverse disaster."

"My parents?" Yusei stepped forward, his face overflowing with emotion. "You knew them?"

"Please, take your seat; this will be a long conversation." This time, Yusei did as he was told. "Yuu and Miyuki were close friends of mine, comrades on the Momentum project. Tell me Yusei; you grew up in the Satellite, what do you and your peers know about these things?"

"Momentum and Zero Reverse?" Rex Godwin nodded. "Momentum was supposed to bring about paradise. Zero Reverse was hell on Earth, a natural disaster that split the city in half."

"As I expected, your knowledge was unavoidably limited by circumstances." Rex pressed a button; the shutters over the windows came down, the lights dimmed, and a holographic display in the center of the office activated. It showed a strange sort of glowing turbine, the workings of which Yusei could not hope to grasp. "The Momentum project was a ten year endeavor started by Seto Kaiba, the president of the Kaiba Corporation, with the ambition of achieving an infinite energy source. Our theory was that we could channel the power of the human soul through the medium of Duel Monsters, and then amplify that power; it would be clean, efficient, and it would be renewed as more and more souls entered the world."

Rex pressed the button again, and the turbine was replaced by five terminals, each with a slot sized for a single card. "Naturally, the greatest difficulty was in getting the whole process started; we needed people with extraordinarily powerful souls, and powerful cards for them to awaken to channel that extraordinary power. We evaluated the records of duelists the world over, and tested those who were most promising. A fair few came from an institution known as Duel Academia, also established by Seto Kaiba, but even they could not achieve consistent results. Experiments were done, and an entirely new method of monster summoning was created to better draw out the power of those duelists."

The press of a button, and now Yusei beheld a familiar sight, rings encasing stars. "Synchro Summons."

"Yes; the direct combination of monster levels without the use of spell cards proved most effective, but there was yet more work to be done; dozens of Synchro and Tuner monsters were created and given to each duelist in every combination we could conceive of, and in the end we achieved partial success with five dragon cards."

"Five Dragons?" Yusei remembered the power Red Demon's Dragon had brought against him, how the Stardust Dragon in Jack's grave had glowed, just before the Dragon Birthmark had appeared on his arm, and the Black Rose Witch and the monster she'd summoned at the Detention Center. "There's two more aside from Stardust, Red Demon's, and Black Rose?"

"You have your parents' insight." Rex Godwin smiled in approval. "Yes, there are two more out there, one that has been reclaimed, the other still lost in Zero Reverse."

"You still haven't explained just what Zero Reverse was, and what any of it has to do with me."

"It has everything to do with you, Yusei, because your parents, because Dr. Yuu and Dr. Miyuki were the ones who'd brought about that disaster."

"What?"

"Five Dragons were created, but only four duelists were ultimately able to use their power to initiate their respective terminals. The one capable of wielding the Fifth Dragon's power yet eluded us, and time was running out; the Kaiba Corp board of directors had become impatient and threatened to withdraw funding if results were not achieved soon. Yuu and Miyuki's determination, which had seen us through so many troubles before, turned into desperation. They attempted to channel the power of the four duelists into one person, hoping that they could force a transformation from a normal human into that of a Signer."

"So that's the significance of this mark?" Yusei looked down at his arm once more. Then he was caught off guard by a sudden flash of light.

"Unfortunately, the rushed method caused a failure in the system; power rushed and spread through the tectonic plates, creating earthquakes all over the world, ones that made the shattering of Old Domino City look like the eye of a storm." The light dimmed, and Yusei could see images of carnage and destruction all around him. "Entire cities sunk into the ground, farmlands were ruined, ocean currents changed and altered the chemical mix of the ocean, and so much dust was kicked up into the atmosphere that it caused a cold snap across the whole globe. It was a disaster beyond anything the governments of the world could survive, and while many tried to band together, there were always those who would exploit any situation so they could stand on top."

Images of gangs, roving packs of men and women who looked feral, the bodies of children, the elderly drinking stagnant water in the complete absence of anything else to pass over their lips; it all caused Yusei's stomach to clench, his skin to cover itself in sweat, his throat to dry and his eyes to sting. "Yusei, the people of this city have been told that Zero Reverse was a natural disaster that could not have been anticipated or prevented by any means. Even so, the wounds from that day run deep; everyone who was alive on that day lost loved ones to Zero Reverse, and even though the ones who caused it have long since died…"

"They would not hesitate to take retribution out on me." Yusei could see it in his mind's eye; Kiryu, Rally, and so many others who had died directly or indirectly from Zero Reverse, he saw Martha, Nerve, Blitz, and Taka, the fury filling their eyes. "What do you want from me?"

"All I need from you is to participate in a Duel Monsters Tournament, the Fortune Cup; you will have access to your D-Wheel and whatever cards you feel would best improve the capabilities of your deck."

"What about Jack?" He obviously had not been told about the truth of Zero Reverse; he would never have accepted his challenge if he had.

"If you should defeat the other competitors, you will earn the right to face him in a duel and become the new King of Riding Duels."

"And what would that accomplish for you?"

"When the Signers and their dragons clash, a reaction is created in the Momentum Reactor; with that reaction, it may be possible to discover the whereabouts of the Fifth Dragon, and possibly even the Fifth Signer. If all the pieces were to be regained, it would be possible to bring the Momentum Reactor to its full capacity and fulfill your parents' dream." Rex Godwin pressed the button, the holographic display vanished, and the shutters over the windows lifted up. He stood up, Yusei responded likewise. "If you would like, I can place you in a private hotel until the time of the tournament where no one will disturb you."

"Return me to Rua and Ruka's apartment."

"Is there a particular reason why?" There was something about the look in his eyes, he was going to analyze his answer, subject it to the utmost scrutiny.

"They are both duelists. I can practice with them."

"A perfectly rational reason." Rex then took out his cell phone. "Jaeger? Yes, our meeting is concluded, you may return Yusei to where you found him." He turned it off. "Are there any other questions you would like answered before you leave?"

Yusei recognized the opportunity before him, and knew that he couldn't waste it. "How did I end up in the Satellite?"

"I'm afraid I do not know; the last time I saw your parents, your father was bleeding to death and your mother refused to leave his side."

"I see." There was no more to be said. Yusei exited Rex Godwin's office.

"Yusei, you're back!" The moment he entered the apartment, he was almost bowled over as Rua tackled him, wrapped his arms around him. "So what'd you do, beat up all the security guards and pull off an exciting race down the streets, leaping from one bridge to the next and…" Rua paused, then looked over his shoulder at Ruka. She was standing back, a soft smile on her face as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"It's okay Rua, you don't have to hold back for me." Rua let go of Yusei and walked over to his sister. "What?"

"You sure? You don't think I'm being too loud and stupid and…" Rua started snapping his fingers. "…and irrelevant?"

"Irreverent, and no. You're happy to see Yusei again, and so am I." She walked up to Yusei and gave him a hug of her own, not nearly so enthusiastic as her brother but no less honest. "Whatever did happen, you're okay now, and that's what matters."

"Thank you, both of you." Yusei knew it was not to last, but he would hold this time close to his heart. It was selfish, but he could hardly be blamed for wanting to be part of it all the same. "I'll go fix some lunch for us."

"I'll have pasta!"

"I'd like some fish please."

"No problem."


	13. Chapter 13

Confrontation with Reality

"So Yusei's going to be in the tournament?" Jack looked scornfully at Rex Godwin's image on the videophone.

"Yes; if he can overcome the obstacles I've placed before him, you will have the chance to face him once more, to defeat him openly and in the public eye as they cheer you on for the hero that you are."

"Do you have to be so condescending?"

"What sense is there in answering a loaded question?" Rex was unperturbed by Jack's turn. "Speaking with full candor now, you have not been yourself as of late; your most recent duel was adequate, but it lacked the panache that normally characterized your matches, and there is only so much that the M.C. can do to cover for that. Jack, I need you to be the King that you once were."

"And you will get exactly what you want." Jack put down the receiver and closed the line. "One week." That was how long he had before the tournament began; it was to be a small one, eight participants in all chosen from the best around Neo Domino City, with Yusei the only one to have originally been from the Satellite.

"Jack?" He looked to the doorway and saw Mikage standing there. After that night, when they'd both gotten drunk, things had been off somehow.

"Mikage." Why hadn't he thought of this before? There was a perfectly simple, perfectly obvious way to resolve all this nonsense. "I need you to track down the status of a boy named Rally; he lives in the Satellite, and he has a Security Marker."

"I understand. I'll get right on it." She departed, and Jack Atlas walked about his mansion, taking the time to really appreciate all that he had; multiple floors, each with multiple rooms, each room larger than Martha's run-down home. The design and arrangement of each room was open and warm, the balance of colors and lighting creating a natural sense of comfort and ease. Every piece of furniture, every utensil, the counter tops and the tables, all of it was expert craftsmanship with an eye for both function and aesthetics. The water for the shower was always hot, and there were always plenty of soft cotton towels to dry off with.

"I think I'll go take one right now." Jack entered his private shower on the second floor, disrobed, and turned it on full blast. He felt the scalding heat of the water soak his hair and wash its way down the rest of his body. He took the washing gel and applied it everywhere, allowed it to foam on one side before letting the water take it all away. He repeated the cycle several times, and then took out the shampoo. He dolloped it onto his hands and ran it through his hair, fingers pressed hard against his scalp. Conditioner followed, and once all was rinsed out, he turned off the water and stepped out. The room was well heated and vented, drying was quick and comfortable. Jack redressed himself in new clothes and returned to the living room, where Mikage stood, downcast. "What's the matter? Did you have trouble tracking Rally down?"

"…Who was he?" Jack stepped forward.

"What do you mean, who 'was' he?" This wasn't like Mikage, she was always upfront except when flustered, what the hell was she playing at? "Rally is a boy who lives in the Satellite, he normally spends his time with his uncles Nerve, Blitz, and Taka." They weren't really his uncles, not biologically, but he called them that, and they certainly never said anything otherwise. "Were you blocked? Did someone interfere?"

"No Jack. Rally's profile states…" She still wasn't looking at him. Damn it, he did not have time for the shy schoolgirl routine!

"Look at me Mikage!" He grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look up into his eyes. Instantly he let go, instantly he recoiled; the hurt in her eyes, he'd never seen anything like it, not from her. He'd seen it in Martha's eyes, when he and Yusei had gone back to her after Kiryu's death, sorrow on behalf of another, on him. Damn it, Neo Domino City was supposed to take him away from that, from this, from…gah!

"According to the profile, he died after inhaling contaminated water. I'm sorry Jack."

"…When?" His voice was barely above a whisper.

"Excuse me?"

"When did he die?"

"It was two years ago…the day you came here from the Satellite." No, she was thinking it; he hadn't told her a damn thing about Yusei's insane and jealous accusations, and yet she was suspecting him? She, his aide, his loyal support for the past two years, would imagine him capable of such a thing? "Jack?"

"It's not my fault!" His storming voice drove Mikage back. "Yusei was supposed to save him, he'd seen someone die before, how could he have failed? This is all on him!"

"I never said otherwise, Jack."

"Of course you didn't! You're paid to tell me whatever the hell I want to hear, do whatever you have to keep me docile and compliant for whatever Rex Godwin wants of his little dog." He turned away, he couldn't believe that he'd ever trusted that…that woman!

"Jack, you're not making any sense." She grabbed him by the shoulder. He whipped around on her.

"Did I say you could touch me? If I am the King, then I order you to get the hell out of my sight, now!" Her face had gone pale, her pupils wide open.

"Very well Jack. I will do as you say." She left through the front door, and for a long time Jack Atlas stood alone in his mansion, warm and spacious and luxurious beyond anything he'd dared dream of before.

Then he went down into the garage, boarded his D-Wheel, and drove off into the street.

* * *

><p>"Get away from that kid!" Jack yelled out as he summoned the Red Demon's Dragon, its roar driving the heavily marked thugs onto their asses.<p>

"Don't be stupid you dumbasses!" The lead thug said as he got back onto his shaking feet. "It's just Solid Vision, it can't really hurt you."

"You tell yourselves that, maybe you'll believe it." Jack approached, his dragon descended down, hovering mere inches above the ground. "Personally, I've seen people shit themselves unconscious after Red Demon's Dragon got through with them, but maybe they were just cowards, while you six foot muscle bound freaks all ganging up on a skinny little kid clearly have the balls to stand up to this!" The dragon flapped its wings, the sound pounding at their ears even in the absence of the wind that should have been there; indeed, the lack of wind only made things more disconcerting for the thugs.

"Just get out of here, now." Yusei arrived, his Stardust Dragon unleashing its strange howl. It flew overhead, circling them all. The thugs did as told, and ran, leaving behind the child they'd cornered. "Are you okay?" Yusei approached the child after dismissing Stardust Dragon, returning the card to his deck. He got down on his knee and offered his hand to the child. The child did not look up. He stayed crouched down, his face hidden by a veil of long, tangled red hair.

"Come on kid, get up, the bad guys are all gone." Jack didn't even want to think about what the hell those freaks might have wanted with the kid; if he and Yusei hadn't happened by…

Finally, the kid looked up at them, revealing the presence of a Criminal Marker on his face, a small one; the way things were, probably just petty theft to make it through a cold night with something in his stomach. Just went to show what sort of priorities Security had. "Thank you." The boy said in a small voice, looking right at Jack; it actually gave him a small swelling of pride.

"Hey, no problem, we got to watch out for each other out here, right?" The child nodded.

"What's your name?" Yusei asked, still looking around to make sure that no one was approaching to ambush them.

"Rally. Rally Dawson."

…

"Rally, I need your help."

"You mean it Jack, I really can help you out?"

"Yes I do Rally, but this is going to be scary. I need you to look like you're in danger so that Yusei will try to rescue you, and it has to be convincing."

"Hah, you don't have to worry about me Jack. I know there's no way that you or Yusei would ever let anything happen to me for real."

"You're absolutely right Rally. Now listen carefully…"

* * *

><p>"Attention everyone!" Jack Atlas roared as he tore down the streets on his D-Wheel, forcing all others on the road to get out of his way lest they be torn apart. "The King of Riding Duels, your king, demands satisfaction!" Jack took the corner, narrowly missing a parked car. "Is there anyone who can challenge the king and defy his supremacy, his word, his law?"<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

**Answering the Summons**

* * *

><p>"Aki, how are you feeling?" Aki was down on one knee before Divine.<p>

"I am feeling well Divine." She was; ever since that day when she'd almost allowed her memories to overtake her and ruin everything, she had re-doubled her meditation, re-focused her will to make sure that nothing like that would ever happen again, that she would not trouble Divine again, ever be anything other than an asset to him and his cause. He had saved her, and she would show her gratitude. "I will continue to become stronger."

"That's very good Aki." Divine stood up from behind his desk and walked towards her. "You will need that strength for the Fortune Cup tournament."

"Lord Divine?" She looked up at him, into his gentle eyes. "If I participate in the tournament, the people will know I am the Black Rose Witch, that you have been harboring me; they will turn against you." The Black Rose Witch, the harbinger of death that wandered the streets of Neo Domino City, it was an identity that Divine had created so that the people would understand what would happen if they did not send other Psychic Duelists to his care and so that his enemies could be eliminated without their deaths ever being traced back to him.

"The Black Rose Witch was only ever a temporary guise to help move things into place. My support in the senate is ironclad now, the King has gone on a rampage that has pushed Godwin's PR department to the limit, and many of the escaped criminals from the Detention Center still walk the streets at night. When you win at the Fortune Cup, what they will see is that I am the only one they can depend on, that I alone stand between them and oblivion. More importantly, the prize for victory in this tournament goes beyond a mere title; the other Signers will also be competing."

"Including the intruder?" Aki's heart pounded in her chest.

"I have every reason to believe he will be there, yes." He held his hand out to her, and lifted Aki up to her feet. "Aki, when you duel him, I will discover just why it is he seems to draw all this power out from you."

"It is because he bears the Cursed Mark as well." She gripped hers, wished that she could just tear it off.

"That is certainly an important piece of the puzzle, yes, but there is something more about this Signer in particular; his presence in the city has served to disrupt the established order in ways that have yet to fully emerge."

"Surely nothing beyond your ability to control?" Aki could not even imagine such a thing; it was a thought far too close to blasphemy in her mind.

"I would like to say so, but we have not gotten this far by being dishonest with ourselves; I want you to go to the Daimon Area and duel whoever challenges you. This will provide you with good practice for the tournament, and it will raise the people's fear to a fevered pitch. Do you understand, Aki?"

"Yes I do." She then felt his arms on her shoulders. He looked into her eyes, wordlessly conveyed his trust in her, his belief in her, his faith in her. Aki felt as though she could melt into those feelings. Then Divine withdrew himself, returned to his desk. "Excuse me." Aki departed and rode down the elevator, her mind clear of doubt and worry; the Intruder would not be able to escape her, not this time. Their paths inexorably crossed, and she would see him down on his knees before her as he submitted himself to her power and Divine's wisdom.

The elevator opened up, someone was standing before her. "Ah, Aki, I'm glad I caught you." It was Shino. "I'm concerned about Akira; he seems to have taken your advice literally and hasn't left the training room in days. It's becoming a real problem for everyone else and he refuses to listen to anyone but you or Divine, and I don't think either of us would like to waste his time with this."

"You think correctly." Divine said that Akira had potential, and nothing could ever be allowed to break his word, least of all an incompetent like Akira. "I'll take care of the problem immediately." Aki thought about it, and realized that every time she had gone into the training room he'd been there. If she thought about it harder, each subsequent appearance had been progressively more haggard and ragged.

"I'll go with you." Shino entered the elevator and pressed the ground floor button. The doors closed behind her, the elevator resumed going down. "You're going to want to consider your words carefully, lest he take them the wrong way again."

"I should not have to be so careful."

"Well you do; Akira desires your approval and little else."

"That is entirely on him, not me."

"Never meant to imply otherwise, just explaining the situation as it is." The elevator doors opened and the two women made their way out towards the training room. "I recommend you tell him to just be himself."

"Very well." Aki sighed, and opened the door to the training room. Akira stood in the middle of the room, in a pool of his own sweat. His clothes were torn and there were numerous lesions across his whole body. "Akira." He turned at the sound of her voice, his eyes sunken and dark.

"Miss Aki! I can keep training, I think I'm going to achieve a breakthrough really soon, just give me a little more time."

"You have wasted enough of everyone's time. Your unceasing presence in the training room is creating difficulty for everyone else here." Aki then caught Shino's exasperated look. "Just be yourself, Akira."

"Myself?" Akira gaped. "No, no, I came here because I can't be myself; I'm a horrible wretched insect of a person, too loathsome and pathetic to even be worth stepping on, that's why I'm here at the Arcadia Movement, to stop being myself and be something else…"

His rambling continued on, but Aki did not listen; it was quite apparent that he'd withdrawn into his own world some time ago. She turned to Shino. "It would appear your advice was in error."

"Believe me Aki, the only one sorrier about it is the sad sack over there. I guess his crush on you was so overpowering, it completely covered up what has to be some serious trauma."

"…Crush?" Aki now looked blankly at Shino. What was she even talking about?

"You hadn't noticed? Huh, I figured you were just ignoring it, and rightly so I might add; indulging someone as codependent as that could only ever end badly. However, it does look like you're going to have to take a really gentle touch with him to get him out of here."

"So what do you suggest I do now?" In her mind's eye she saw Divine holding her, he felt his eyes upon her and sank into them; the thought of doing anything even halfway to that made Aki's stomach twist on itself.

"Whatever you do, it's going to have to be quick." Shino said with a note of alarm as she looked at Akira. Aki then heard a crack in the wall, and Akira's voice rose back into the audible spectrum.

"I don't want to be helpless again!" Aki looked at him and saw tears flowing freely from his eyes. "She was standing right there, I saw the whole thing and I couldn't help her! My power, it was enough to drive everyone else away but it wasn't enough to help her!" Akira fell to his knees as vague humanoid outlines appeared around him; they smashed at the ground around him with their fists, creating small craters where they struck. "I just want to be strong enough to help, why can't I do it, why do I always fail, why, why, why!"

A sharp pain flashed across Aki's temple. She forced it out. "This is enough." Aki summoned the Black Rose Dragon and infused it with her power. It shot out its vines to grab Akira's arms and legs, lifted him up and suspended him in the air. The humanoid figures tried to jump Aki, but the Black Rose Dragon swatted them away with its wings. "Akira!" She shouted at him. She knew exactly what to say now. "This power is why Divine chose you!" He stopped his incessant crying and looked down at her. "You will gain the strength to control this power, so stop trying to force it. It will come in due course, so long as you follow Divine's guidance." The humanoid figures he'd summoned vanished, and so Aki slowly brought him back to the ground before dismissing Black Rose Dragon.

"I'm sorry Aki, I'm so sorry; I promise it won't happen again." Aki was going to turn away, she was going to leave him and let Shino deal with the rest. She didn't. She stood there.

"You don't have to worry about that, not anymore." Then sense took over, and Aki walked away, intent on fulfilling the mission that Divine had given her, to sow fear into the hearts of men.

* * *

><p>Shino had just finished escorting Akira back to his room when she turned around and saw Divine standing right there. "Lord Divine." She bowed before him.<p>

"Please, stand up; you've done a commendable service for me today."

"Commendable? Sir, the training room was badly damaged; it will take time to repair." Divine patted her on the shoulder and walked past her.

"I wasn't talking about the room." Shino turned and saw him looking into the room, at Akira's sleeping form. "I've told Aki this, and now you know as well; Akira is someone with great potential and you helped accelerate the realization of that potential." Shino remembered the figures that surrounded Akira, the devastation they were able to cause, and without even playing a single card to focus that power!

"You're, you're quite welcome my Lord."

"But remember Shino; we can't become complacent. There will soon come a time when I call upon you for a mission of equally great importance as this one."

"I assure you my Lord; I'll be more than equal to that task, no matter what it might be."

"That's why I know I'll be able to entrust you with it." With that, Divine departed.

* * *

><p>Aki had faced three duelists in the Daimon Area, one after another. By that point, the carnage she'd inflicted on the cityscape had rendered her inaccessible to any challengers, or would have if any challengers remained; all reserves of righteous fury seemed drained while abject terror and self-preservation ruled the day. In the distance Aki could hear the approaching sirens, but they would be too late; they would sift through the rubble and question witnesses and all they would have to show for it would be a populous demanding retribution. Aki summoned down a tower of light to ensure her escape, ensure that Divine's plan would proceed as it was meant to, and then she slipped away into an empty warehouse. She discarded the guise of the Black Rose Witch and destroyed it, leaving no trace behind; it had served its purpose and was best left behind with no regrets. She emerged from the warehouse and saw Security officers around the corner demanding answers, and irate witnesses demanding answers of their own. She turned away, certain that many would be arrested for failure to cooperate with authority, and started making her way back to the Arcadia Movement building, when something small walked right into her.<p>

"Sorry, I wasn't…" Aki looked down, and saw that it was that green haired boy that had run into her a few months ago. He stared up at her in equal measures of shock and recognition.

"What are you doing here?" She thought that he had lived in the Tops District; what would such a pampered child be doing in such a dangerous place as this?

"None of your business." He was defensive, but his voice and body language lacked the edge and force that had been present in their previous encounter. He tried to get away from her, but Aki grabbed his shoulder and held him in place. There was still that strange something about this child that demanded her attention; she could not place it, name it, or ignore it.

"I will decide that." The boy harrumphed but did not fight back. "Why are you here in the Daimon Area? Surely you know how dangerous this place can be." Even before she came, the Daimon Area was notorious for its high crime rate due to the high residence of marked criminals dwelling in it.

"The Daimon Area?" The boy looked around, looked startled. "I didn't realize I'd gone that far. Man, I hope Ruka doesn't get even more upset." Aki then heard Security officers headed their way. She grabbed the boy's arm and dragged him along until she was satisfied that they were sufficiently out of the way.

"Who is Ruka?" Even if she couldn't understand this feeling, she could at least appease it until it went away.

"She, she's my sister, my twin sister. I said some really stupid stuff to her and ran away." The boy sat down with his head down on his knees.

"What is your name, boy?"

"Rua."

"I am Aki. Now, tell me exactly what happened."


	15. Chapter 15

**To Know Where One Stands**

* * *

><p>"Darn it!" Rua said as his life points hit zero once again, his cheeks only a little moist. "I almost had you that time Yusei." Seriously, two Deformer Magnen U in defense position to keep him from being able to attack, a Deformer Chakken to inflict burn damage, and even Gadget Box to provide sacrifices for Chakken's effect. Then Yusei had to go and use that Card Rotator card of his and mess the whole thing up. "Come on, one more go Yusei, I'll definitely win this time!" Rua wiped away just below his eyes.<p>

"Didn't you say that the last three times?" Yusei said with an easy laugh and a light smile on his face. "Besides, don't you think Ruka should get a turn?" Rua had really, really, really hoped that Yusei wouldn't ask about that. He looked around and saw that Ruka was still inside, working on her assignment on her computer. Rua slowly, almost conspiratorially walked up to Yusei and started whispering.

"Look, you know how I have a really bad, really annoying habit of crying after I lose?" Yusei nodded. "Well, that's nothing compared to what happens to Ruka after she duels; see, after she wins, she faints and she doesn't get back up for at least an hour."

"She has a medical condition?" Yusei sounded really worried, like Ruka was his little sister. Somehow, that didn't bug or irritate Rua at all; maybe it was because he wanted to think of Yusei as being the big brother he never got to have. "I don't remember seeing anything in the medicine cabinets."

"No, it's not medical…" Rua wasn't sure just how he was going to explain it when he didn't even really believe it himself. "When she duels, it's, well, it's like she gets possessed or something, and her arm starts glowing, and when it stops, that's when she passes out."

"It glows? What do you mean exactly?" Huh? Why did that matter?

"Um, well, it's like this great big birthmark thing appears on her arm, and it's all glowy and stuff, and it's shaped like a claw."

"I see." Yusei looked off into the distance, in the direction of Security H.Q. "I didn't mean to pry."

"No, it's okay Yusei." Rua turned around in a jerking motion when he heard Ruka's voice. Had she heard the whole thing? "You were going to find out eventually." She was standing right behind them, and she held out a piece of paper in her hands.

"Congratulations Ruka, you have been chosen to participate in the Fortune Cup Tournament…" Yusei read off the top line of the paper. He muttered something to himself, but Rua couldn't make it out, not least because all his attention was on Ruka. The idea of her being surrounded again, cornered, the pressure of all those eyes on her…

"Don't worry Ruka." Rua put his hand on her shoulder, and then put a strong smile on his face. "I'll go ahead in your place, dress up like you and act like you and everything, there's no way they'll ever see through it." Yeah, it would be a bit embarrassing if he was caught, but what kind of brother would he be if he wasn't willing to endure that for his sister?

"That's…that's really nice of you Rua," Ruka said as she lifted Rua's hand off her shoulder, his smile turning into a frown, "But I have to be the one to do this."

"Huh?" Rua leaned in for a closer look at his sister. "Ruka, the Fortune Cup Tournament is going to be the biggest tournament in like, ever; everyone's going to be there, only the best duelists are going to be competing. If you duel in front of all those people, you know what's going to happen."

"You don't understand Rua; this isn't going to just be a tournament, this is going to be really dangerous. If I don't go, something really bad could happen."

"If it's going to be dangerous, then that's all the more reason for me to go in your place. Besides, why would a tournament be dangerous anyway?" Rua narrowed his eyes. "You had some stupid dream, didn't you?"

"You didn't think my dreams were stupid when they showed us where Yusei was." Ruka narrowed her eyes; it was like looking into a mirror.

"That's different!" Rua shook his hands around, as though this would help him grab onto a reason why the two situations were, in fact, different. "Yusei, help me out here! Explain to Ruka why she can't go, maybe she'll listen to you." Yeah, Yusei would help him out; with the way he worried about her just a moment ago he had to be on his side!

"Ruka." He paused as he looked at her. "Did you really find me because of a dream?"

"Yes." Ruka then started to shuffle her feet. "And…I, I've been watching your dreams too. That's how come I know the Fortune Cup's going to be dangerous." Rua refrained from gaping, but only just, he had no idea Ruka could watch other people's dreams. Part of him became very afraid as to whether or not she'd been watching his dreams. "I'm sorry, I knew I shouldn't have, but your dreams about your mother, they were so warm and soft."

"My mother?" Yusei got down onto his knee to look Ruka in the eye. "What do you mean Ruka? What exactly did you see?" Huh? Yusei was usually a pretty relaxed guy about most things, but Rua figured he would have gotten at least a little upset after hearing what Ruka had just told him.

"It's a feeling more than anything, like you were wrapped up in layers of wool blankets, held tight and safe in her arms, and just when you're about to wake up, it's like she, she's giving you to someone, even though she doesn't want to."

"Martha." Yusei closed his eyes and let out a sigh. Then he opened his eyes and smiled. "Thank you Ruka, you just gave me something very important to fight for. In return, I'll make sure nothing bad happens to you at the tournament."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what?" Rua gripped his head in his hands. "Yusei, don't you mean in return you'll make sure she doesn't fight in the tournament? Because she can't, she just can't!"

"Why not?" Ruka's voice was firm, as was her body language. "Why are you being so difficult?"

"Because if you go to that tournament, you'll be hurt again, and I promised I wouldn't let that happen ever again!" There were tears in his eyes, but Rua didn't care; Yusei was supposed to have backed him up on this, and he went and betrayed him! "You're not going, and that's final!"

"Rua, I know you mean well, but you have no right to decide these things for me."

"Yes I do; I am your brother and that means I'm the one who's supposed to keep you safe and that means I get to decide whether you can go to the tournament or not and I say you can't!" Then Rua felt Yusei's heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Rua, I think you need to calm down." Rua grabbed Yusei's hand and forced it off his shoulder.

"I need to calm down? Ruka's the one being totally unreasonable, wanting to go and get herself hurt just because of some stupid voice in her head, while a complete stranger helps her along, and I'm the one who needs to calm down? Fine, I'll calm down, I'll calm down halfway across the whole damn city!" He knew that that didn't make any sense, but he was already out the door, running towards the elevator, and not looking back.

* * *

><p>"…And, that's basically what happened." At some point, Aki had sat down across from him as he shared his story. "I don't know why I got so bent out of shape; I just didn't want her to get hurt, but I acted like a real jerk and said all that stupid stuff. Ruka probably hates me now." Rua ducked his head back down onto his knees.<p>

There was a long period of silence between them, every now and then broken by the sound of someone moving some piece of rubble, someone driving or riding past them, a helicopter flying overhead. "You should go back and let her know you're sorry." Rua looked up at Aki. "She needs your support, that's why she wanted you to understand."

"You really think she needs me?"

"She was telling the truth; The Fortune Cup tournament will be a dangerous one, and she can't avoid it. Every duelist there will have someone supporting them, you have to be hers." She suddenly stood up, looked off into the distance.

"Aki?" She looked like she wasn't there anymore. "Are you okay?" He tentatively reached out when her hand suddenly shot out and struck his away. She looked down at him, and Rua could not read her expression.

"I have to go now Rua; I have someone who needs my support, I can't make them wait any longer."

"Right, I understand." He watched her walk away and out of sight, her movements meant to avoid being spotted by anyone who might have been looking for her. He thought about the last time they'd run into one another, and how strangely cold her eyes had seemed back then. This time though, he thought that she had the same sort of eyes Yusei had, like something terrible had happened to them, something they could never talk about. It made Rua feel very small and petty and like a bug at the way he'd been acting.

The trip back to the Tops District, to the Jacob Tower, to his apartment, passed in a blur much the same as when he'd run out. Almost the whole day had gone by, the sky a deep orange as the sun hovered just over the horizon. He opened the door and saw Yusei on the couch, and Ruka sleeping with her head on his lap. "She wanted to go out and look for you. I told her that you needed time by yourself to think about what you'd said and done." Rua walked closer, he felt his throat tightening up.

Then he heard Ruka talking in her sleep. "Rua, I don't want you to be hurt either…" Everything clicked together in his head, now he understood exactly why he acted so stupid. Rua clenched his fist, cleared his throat.

"Ruka?" She slowly opened her eyes, sat up. "I'm sorry I was such a jerk; I'm always trying to protect you and keep you safe and I always screw up, so when you kept telling me not to even try, I kind of lost it. I'm really sorry, and if you're okay with me supporting you, I promise I won't let you down." He bowed down to her.

"I'm sorry too Rua." He righted himself back up, a confused look on his face. "I was trying to protect you too, and I didn't even think about how you felt. This is just something really important that I have to do and I wanted you to understand that. I know that sometimes I can be harsh with you, but I still love you and I want you to be there for me."

Rua, who'd been bracing himself for a great deal of anger and hostility, could hardly be blamed for the overflow of emotion as he embraced his sister. "You're the best Ruka!" Then he sheepishly released her. "I mean, you can count on me."

Then he heard Yusei chuckle, and when he and Ruka looked at him, he was smiling an honest smile. "I'm just glad you two got through this so easily." He stood up and patted both of them on their shoulders. "I'll fix up some snacks, and then we can discuss our strategies for the tournament."

"Here, let me help." Rua practically skipped and bounced his way into the kitchen, and as he helped Yusei pick what they were going to eat, he found himself thinking about Aki and the advice she'd given him. He hoped that whoever it was she was supporting, that they would help her be happy in return.


	16. Chapter 16

**To Stand Against a Headwind**

* * *

><p>"Mr. Fudo, I trust that you are satisfied with the state of your D-Wheel?" Yusei heard Jaeger say; they were in the garage of the Detention Center, which was still undergoing hasty repairs.<p>

"Yes." He looked up from the diagnostic display. "It seems like it will work even better than before."

"Of course; you only had access to sub-par materials that had been thrown away, your design could only go so far with such limitations. Now that the parts have been replaced, you will be worthy of facing against the King of Riding Duels." This was the second time that Jaeger had gone out of his way to point out his limitations as a citizen of the Satellite; the last time he had ignored Jaeger's words, refused to rise at them, because he had believed that his upbringing in the Satellite had been a matter of happenstance. Then Ruka had revealed the truth about his recurring dream to him, that his mother had placed him in Martha's care; Rex Godwin claimed that they had died in Zero Reverse and that his own survival as an infant was a mystery. The only way to cut through the fog was to make his way through the Fortune Cup, to play along with Rex Godwin's game and face Jack, only then could Yusei make his way back to Martha and discover the truth.

"Don't worry; your master will get the duel he wants." Yusei looked down at his arm, where the Dragon Birthmark had appeared; according to Rex, his ambition was to discover the whereabouts of the Fifth Signer and the Fifth Dragon by triggering a reaction in the Momentum Reactor, one that could only be achieved by two Signers facing off with their dragons. By finding the Fifth Signer and their dragon, the Momentum Reactor could achieve its full potential and generate the power necessary to restore the world; that was what Rex Godwin had claimed, how much if any of it was true, Yusei would find out.

"My master? Mr. Fudo, you make it sound like I'm his lap dog." Jaeger chortled in a high, staccato pitch. "In any event, I would avoid assuming that you will duel Jack; the duelists who have been invited to the Fortune Cup are of a caliber beyond anything you would have experienced in the Satellite."

"And yet they have to earn the right to face Jack, the same as I do." Jack Atlas; he and Yusei had grown up together in the Satellite under Martha's care, but after betraying him, after placing Rally in a fatal trap, he'd made his way into Neo-Domino City and became the King of Riding Duels. "Were you the one who'd told him to steal my Stardust Dragon?"

"I did not know it was you specifically that possessed the Stardust Dragon, merely that Jack did, and at the time there was no reason to think that that possessor was anything but a temporary holder for the card until the appropriate Signer had been found. This mistake will not be repeated when the whereabouts of the Fifth Dragon have been confirmed."

"And Stardust?"

"Unfortunately, Jack has proven intractable on the matter and refuses to let you have the card back until you've shown him that you deserve it."

"I see." When he'd told Jack about Rally's death, Jack had flown into a rage of furious denial and crushed him mercilessly. "Then I have no more time to waste here." Yusei got onto his D-Wheel and turned it on, revved the engine up.

"Regardless of the outcome, I look forward to watching your duels." Jaeger said before Yusei rode off, the path cleared for him by Security officers who looked down on him even now. Every so often another driver or cyclist would pass by, notice the marker on his cheek, and make their disdain for him known in their own ways. He thought about Rua and Ruka, the twins who'd taken him in, safeguarded him, expressed nothing but admiration and happiness at his presence in their lives. Ruka was also participating in the tournament, which meant that it was possible that he would have to face her; according to Rua, his sister would become possessed during her duels, her arm would glow in a pattern that was in all likelihood a Dragon Birthmark, and after the duel she would faint, and she had insisted that in spite of all that that she had to duel, that she had to participate in the tournament. Rex Godwin knew about this, that was why he'd asked about Yusei's motivation for staying with the twins instead of at a private hotel room. Unknowns piled upon unknowns littered the road before Yusei.

"Yusei Fudo." The voice came from the screen on his D-Wheel, a Security officer using the communications channel. "You will take the next right." Yusei looked up and saw that the exit in question would take him towards the service entrance to the Duel Stadium. Yusei complied.

* * *

><p>"Everybody listen!" Yusei heard the M.C.'s voice coming from up above; upon arrival at the Duel Stadium, he'd been escorted directly to a small, pitch-black room, a glorified closet which he'd been told would open up at the ceiling and lift him up to the surface at the appropriate time. "On this glorious day, the greatest duelists that Neo Domino City has to offer have been gathered to determine once and for all who is worthy of facing off against the King of Riding Duels, Jack Atlas!" Yusei heard the roar of an engine just overhead; Jack must have been driving around on the track to stir up the audience. Then there was a sudden roar. "Who will prove capable of facing off against the great Red Demon's Dragon?" Rua was probably having the time of his life, being able to witness Jack Atlas and his dragon in person for the first time. "Today, we're going to find out, so let us meet our challengers!"<p>

The whirring of gears surrounded Yusei as the ceiling opened and the floor rose up; the process was gradual enough that his eyes had a chance to adjust to the light once more, letting him see that he stood at one end of the line. He took the opportunity to look at the other duelists he would be facing; Ruka happened to be right next to him, her relief at his presence was palpable. After her was a tall, delicate looking man with long pale blonde hair and grey-blue eyes, following him a short slender woman with hair and eyes the same dark shade of blue; the two glanced at one another. The next one down the line was a man he recognized, and would never have expected to have seen, Mukuro Enjo; the man took one look at Yusei and stuck out his tongue in a lopsided grin, clearly his way of expressing recognition and surprise in turn. After him was a woman with thick arms, pale skin, and wispy black hair, and next to her a man so heavyset that he was almost bigger across than he was tall; they shared the same knowing look as the other pair, in all likelihood all four of them were together, no doubt brought in by Rex Godwin or one of his agents. Jaeger hadn't been kidding when he talked about the challenges he would face on this path to Jack.

Then Yusei noticed the final duelist, a young woman with brown eyes, dark reddish-brown hair, and a strange looking curler in her hair that helped shape her bangs; it seemed familiar somehow, but when he tried to focus on it, on her, Yusei found his eyes turning away, as though her very presence was rejecting him. Then his attention was pulled away by the murmuring of the crowd all around them.

"Two criminals?" They were talking about him and Mukuro, the only ones there with Criminal Markers on their faces.

"They obviously stole the invitations."

"I bet they even killed the real duelists to make sure they didn't get exposed." The crowd was getting louder.

"Security! Get rid of those pieces of scum!" One man yelled out.

"Yeah, I'll take their place, I deserve it way more!" A woman this time. Hatred and envy permeated the atmosphere.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" It was Mukuro Enjo, who at some point had grabbed the microphone right out of the M.C.'s hand. "I see where you're coming from on this, believe you me, but the fact of the matter is that me and my pal Yusei, we're here legit and on the up and up, and we were both chosen for the same reason; 'cause there ain't a single duelist in all the city who wants to take down Jack Atlas more than us!" He then turned and pointed at Jack, who stood on a higher level with the Red Demon's Dragon down on one knee behind him. "What do you think, King of Riding Duels; do you believe that the people deserve the chance to witness the most exciting duel they'll ever know in their entire lives? Don't you think the people deserve a chance to see what a duelist can really do when they're burning white hot with determination and willpower and the deep-seated need for victory?" Mukuro turned around without waiting for a response, not that he would have gotten one. He pointed out to the audience. "A real duelist is one who's faced real adversity, and only a real duelist stands a chance of dethroning the King! Rex Godwin, in his infinite wisdom, knows this. So why don't you all just sit back down and lay witness to the glory that you're about to behold?" Silence finally fell when Mukuro finished and casually tossed the microphone back to the M.C., who held it protectively in his hands.

"Rough, but well spoken." It was Rex Godwin, whose face was now present on every monitor in the stadium. "Every duelist present at this tournament has been chosen due to their skill and desire, with the issue of class, rank, and even past immaterial to the selection procedure. In this fashion you, the audience, the citizens of the last utopia on Earth, will be given the show that is due to you." This seemed to appease the crowd, the people who had risen returned to their seats.

"Very well said, everyone!" The M.C. cried out into his microphone. "Now, let us discover who will be facing who in this tournament!" He took a dramatic step and thrust his arm out to point at a monitor, which now displayed pictures of all eight duelists flashing in and out. One by one they settled into place, displaying the names and faces of who would face who; he was to be first, his opponent the blonde haired man, Tsubasa. After that Mukuro would face off against Tsukiko, the dark haired woman, Ruka would face the large man Daichi, and it seemed that the red haired woman was named Aki, her opponent Mizuko. "Very good! Yusei, Tsubasa, please come on down to the track while the rest of the competitors avail themselves of the rest area." Yusei looked down at Ruka and followed her gaze to find Rua in the stands, seated between a pair of Security suits. They nodded together, silently affirming their promise that they would be there for each other no matter what.

"Hey, you really friends with that Mukuro guy?" As Yusei was led down the steps, Tsubasa spoke to him. "Because I got to tell you, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy you'd want to introduce to your mother if you get my drift." Yusei glanced over at Mukuro, who had his hands in his pockets as he tried to get his opponent Tsukiko to talk to him, his manner brash and overbearing.

"He was my cellmate at the Detention Center." Tsubasa showed no reaction to that detail; he was definitely a man in Godwin's pocket.

* * *

><p>"Rex Godwin." He did not turn at the sound of Divine's voice. "Half the duelists present for the tournament are your operatives; are you sure these proceedings are enough of a farce?" Divine then took the seat next to him, extended his hand; he of course knew that Rex would not accept it, and yet he offered it all the same whenever they encountered one another.<p>

"As I said earlier, all the duelists were chosen for their skill and desire; that I secured their allegiances well in advance of this day is only logical on my part."

"Indeed; despite our many differences, we both share that trait in common." Divine took his hand back, reached for a glass of water, and took a drink. "It is a shame though, that the intruder and Aki were not seeded against each other in the first round." Rex of course made sure that Yusei and the Black Rose Witch would not face one another at the start, he needed to make sure that Yusei was aware of the danger he would face before that time.

"Really? I would have thought you'd desire the dramatic power of a match in the finals."

"There is that, but establishing the proper tone for these proceedings from the beginning would have been so much more artful than a sudden twist at the end." A rather ironic attitude coming from him; were there a way for Rex to unmask him without tearing away his own in the process…

"In either case, the crowd should prove more than satisfied by the spectacle." Rex Godwin looked out at the crowd through the window of his luxury box; these were people who were content, their every need met and left wanting for nothing, free to pursue whatever desire they wished.

"Everybody listen!" Contemplation would have to wait until later it seemed; now was the time to see if the center would hold.

* * *

><p>"The first duel of the Fortune Cup is about to begin!" Yusei heard the M.C.'s voice even over the revving of his own engine. "Riding on a D-Wheel of his own design is the son of the Satellite, Yusei Fudo! Riding a light and sleek Model X500, the man who guides the winds of fate, Tsubasa!" There were significantly more cheers for Tsubasa than for Yusei, and Tsubasa certainly seemed at ease with this fact. "For these two duelists, this match will decide who gets to open the door of fate, and who will be left behind in the dust! Now, let us begin; Riding Duel, acceleration!" Yusei and Tsubasa both reacted to the M.C.'s declaration simultaneously, taking off down the track.<p>

"Yusei!" Tsubasa yelled out, his hair flowing from underneath his helmet. "Why don't you take the first turn, show the crowd what you've got?" His strategy was going to play off whatever he already had on the field. Then Yusei saw spikes flip over on the road before him, and he dashed around them so smoothly he could hardly believe it; Jaeger may have been a bigot about it, but his D-Wheel really was working far better now that it had been properly outfitted.

"I'll start by summoning Speed Warrior and then special summon One Shot Booster with its own effect." As his monsters appeared on the field, the M.C. delivered his commentary.

"Much as one would expect, Yusei's summoned a pair of weak, low level monsters, but Tsubasa would have to be a fool to think that appearances can't be deceiving!" Yusei wondered how much of that was scripted, and how much reflected the M.C.'s honest opinion.

"Now I set two cards and end my turn."

"And so the second turn begins! What will Tsubasa bring to play against Yusei's unassuming tactics?"

"You will find out, just as soon as I make a change of venue." Tsubasa drew his card. "First, I play Terraforming and add Divine Wind of Mist Valley to my hand, which I now activate." Thick crystalline walls erupted around the track, cutting off the audience from Yusei's view. As the light hit those walls it became refracted, creating a rainbow effect in the sky above, a prismatic ceiling that served to enclose them. "Ah, now that's better, don't you think Yusei? No more annoying distractions." Yusei then realized he couldn't hear the sound of the crowd or even the M.C.

"I imagine Godwin added that feature to the card."

"You're a smart guy Yusei, a real shame someone like you was born on the wrong side of the divide." Tsubasa drove in closer. "You've been in Neo Domino City for a while now right? Tell me, is it everything you've ever dreamed of while sleeping in a cardboard box under a wet towel?"

"I don't care what your game is; just duel me and get this over with."

"Now you're acting like I can't do two things at once." Tsubasa then pulled away from Yusei. "I activate Spring of Rebirth and then summon Mist Valley Thunderbird." Yusei heard a high pitched shriek from above, and he saw a large green bird with jagged plumage and tailfeathers flying down between the cliff faces. "Next, I return Thunderbird to my hand to special summon Mist Condor." Heavy wing beats pressed down on Thunderbird as the blue feathered Mist Condor flew just above it, forcing the green bird to perch itself on Tsubasa's shoulders, the card back in his hand. "Now, since Mist Valley Thunderbird's returned to my hand, that triggers three effects; one, Spring of Rebirth gives me 500 life points every time a monster is returned from the field to its owner's hand." A fine mist appeared around Tsubasa, which he breathed in deeply. "Next, when a Wind Attribute monster is returned from the field to my hand, I can special summon a level 4 or lower Wind monster from my deck. I'll go with the level two Mist Valley Baby Roc." A very small, skull-headed bird swooped down onto the field. "Finally, when Mist Valley Thunderbird is returned from the field to my hand, I get to special summon it back, with the caveat that I can't attack with it this turn." Thunderbird flew out again in a spiral that left behind numerous sparks in its path, joining the other members of its flock. "So, what do you think of all that Yusei?"

"You should pay more attention when your opponent activates a trap card." Yusei had activated his trap card, Card of Sacrifice, right after Tsubasa had first summoned Mist Valley Thunderbird; since his monsters' combined attack power was less than Thunderbird's, he was able to draw two cards with the drawback that he couldn't summon or change battle position for the rest of the turn.

"Drawing cards on my turn eh? In a way, that actually serves as a metaphor for your situation; you do know what a metaphor is, right Yusei? I mean, you're a smart guy, but somehow I doubt the subject comes up all that often on the street while hassling old men for whatever spare change they have on them."

"Why are you trying to anger me?" Yusei clenched his fist around the handlebar of his D-Wheel.

"You know I'm working for Godwin, you know that I've gone out of my way to make sure no one can hear us, and you still have to ask why I want you to tap into your base instincts as a Satellite citizen? I guess even a smart piece of scum is still scum."

"Just finish your turn!"

"After that outburst, certainly!" Tsubasa howled as Baby Roc began to fly circles around his other two monsters. "I take my level 4 Condor and level 3 Thunderbird, and tune them to my level 2 Baby Roc to Synchro Summon the level 9 Mist Wurm!" Two rings surrounded seven stars as they exploded into light, releasing a huge purple worm whose body spewed forth purple gasses. "When Synchro Summoned, Mist Wurm takes three cards you control, and returns them to your hand." As both Yusei's monsters and his face-down card were forced back into his hand by a flood of noxious fumes, he had to focus all his effort to keeping his D-Wheel on track, avoiding obstacles as they sprang up on the track. At the same time, Spring of Rebirth infused Tsubasa with 1000 life points, 500 for each of Yusei's monsters. "You see all those cards in your hand Yusei? They represent your potential." Mist Wurm then lurched forward and slammed into Yusei, forcing his D-Wheel off track and clipping a pillar that sprang up out of nowhere. "And all that potential didn't do you a damn bit of good, now did it Yusei? You understand what I'm getting at, right?"

"The deck is stacked against me."

"Oh ho, so you really do understand metaphor! Of course, just understanding the problem won't solve it. I set one card, and end my turn."

"Turn 3, Yusei: 1500 life points, Tsubasa: 5500 life points."

"I activate Tuning to add Quickdraw Synchron from my deck to my hand, and then send a card from my deck to the grave. Next, I discard a monster from my hand to special summon Quickdraw Synchron; following that, I summon Speed Warrior and special summon One Shot Booster." Yusei's monsters took to the track one after another. "Now I tune my level 1 One Shot Booster to my level 5 Quickdraw Synchron." Five rings of light, one star running through them. "Gathering bonds weave a greater force! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Turbo Warrior!" The red warrior flew overhead of Speed Warrior. "Next, I equip Turbo Warrior with Fighting Spirit and then activate Release Restraint Wave to destroy it along with all your set spell and trap cards."

"What?" Tsubasa narrowly avoided getting clipped by Turbo Warrior as it drove its hand through his set card, Returning Guard.

"Now I attack with Turbo Warrior, activating its effect to cut Mist Wurm's attack power in half." Turbo Warrior jumped onto Mist Wurm's back and sliced it in half in a single chop, floating in the air as the remains fell and dissolved into nothingness. "Now I attack directly with Speed Warrior, activating its effect to double its attack power this turn." Speed Warrior's spin kick caused Tsubasa to slide up against the wall of the track, the solid vision of his field spell warping to accommodate his action. "Now I set two cards, and end my turn."

"Turn 4, Yusei: 1500 life points, Tsubasa: 2450 life points."

"You must think you're pretty hot shit, don't you Yusei?" Tsubasa swerved right in front of Yusei, cutting him off. "I've only begun to show you the difference between a piece of satellite scum, and a human being!" Tsubasa tore the next card from his deck. "I activate Returning Draw, sending Spring of Rebirth to the bottom of my deck to draw 2 cards." As he did, a ramp suddenly lifted him and his D-Wheel up, launching him into the air. "Next, I activate Mist Gathering, discarding Mist Valley Executioner to special summon two Mist Valley tokens, which I immediately sacrifice to summon Mist Valley Apex Avian!" A towering golden bird with glowing patterns running down the length of its body and 2700 attack points. "Now, Apex Avian, attack Speed Warrior!"

Tsubasa's monster began beating its wings, spinning a pair of tornados into being. "I activate my trap card, Hero Baton, to change the attack target to Turbo Warrior."

"And now is the moment when you see your true limitations, Yusei!" Apex Avian's eyes glowed. "When a card effect is activated, I can use Apex Avian's effect to return a Mist Valley card on my field back to my hand to negate and destroy that card effect. Naturally, I take back Divine Wind of Mist Valley!" The crystal walls and rainbow skies vanished, taking Yusei's trap card with them.

"Oh my, Apex Avian's effect is truly devastating! If combined with Thunderbird's effect, I have to imagine that not even the King of Riding Duels himself could stand up to it!" Yusei now found he far preferred the M.C.'s voice over Tsubasa's.

"That may be so, but this will be enough to defeat you, Yusei." Now that he could be seen and heard clearly, Tsubasa resumed his civil demeanor. Apex Avian then directed its attack at Speed Warrior, mere moments away from destroying it utterly.

"I activate my trap card, Iron Resolve; by paying half my life points, I reduce the damage from this battle to zero." Yusei pushed on in his D-Wheel, weaving his way around the obstacles before him. "Furthermore, by removing Shield Warrior in my grave from play, I prevent Speed Warrior's destruction by battle." Shield Warrior appeared from the grave, having been sent there with Tuning's effect, and protected Speed Warrior to the best of its ability before vanishing entirely.

"Oh ho, you're a surprisingly clever and tenacious duelist, aren't you Yusei?" Tsubasa reactivated Divine Wind, sealing away the outside world once more. His face became twisted. "Indulge me a bit Yusei; what are you even trying to pull anyway? What kind of ambition or dream could someone like you, a piece of meaningless trash, even muster up? Someone like you, who would consider soft bread and a soft bed a luxury, what makes you think such weak hopes even deserve recognition?"

"Why do you bother hiding your hatred for me from the crowd?"

"Call it a matter of keeping myself presentable; everyone hates Satellite and the scum that walks around in it, and rightly so, but there's no sense in rubbing their noses in it. Personally I wouldn't mind leading the charge and putting your kind out of your misery, but I'll settle for crushing you here and now, let all the scum watch helplessly as their one champion falls."

Darkness settled over Yusei's eyes. "Are you done with your turn?" Yusei saw Kiryu, he saw Rally.

"Yeah, yeah, you go ahead and flail around for my amusement; it might justify your existence for a moment or two."

"Turn 5, Yusei: 750 life points, Tsubasa: 2450 life points."

"I summon Nitro Synchron, and then tune Turbo Warrior to it." Two rings, six stars. "Gathering feelings will now become a new guardian! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Burn on, Nitro Gardna!" A dark green monster with massive, wall-like arms and a huge jet engine along its back flew alongside Yusei in defense position with 3000 defense points. "Since Nitro Synchron was used for the summon of a Nitro monster, I can draw one card."

"Oh no you won't." Tsubasa activated Apex Avian's effect, withdrawing Divine Wind once more to negate Nitro Synchron's effect.

"This is indeed a grim situation that Yusei's found himself in; it looks as though he won't be able to rise above his origins after all." Yusei thought he might have imagined it, but the M.C. sounded sorry for him.

"Speed Warrior, attack!"

"Has Yusei gone mad? If he attacks like this, he'll throw the match!" Now there was disappointment to go along with the shock in the M.C.'s voice. Speed Warrior leaped into the air and performed an axe kick on Apex Avian's beak, which only served to break its own leg. Apex Avian then swatted Speed Warrior back down when Nitro Guardna caught it before it broke down completely.

"When Nitro Guardna is on the field in defense position, any battle damage I would take involving another one of my monsters is instead inflicted on my opponent." A pair of compartments opened up on Nitro Guardna's arms, spraying burning Napalm onto the track before Tsubasa, forcing him to ride through it as it inflicted 1800 points of damage on him.

"Now this is some clever dueling! With 3000 defense points, Tsubasa won't have an easy time getting rid of Nitro Guardna, and because the effect is continuous, Apex Avian can't negate it! So long as Yusei can summon anything on his next turn, victory will be his!"

"I end my turn."

"Turn 6, Yusei: 750 life points, Tsubasa: 650 life points."

"I reactivate Divine Wind of Mist Valley." The outside world was cut off. "What a sickening strategy, using garbage and scrap to scrape by, you don't have any pride at all, do you scum?"

"I have more important things to worry about than empty pride."

"Nothing but the admission of a loser who's already given up, and I'll be damned if I'm defeated by sub-human trash like you! I summon Mist Parrot from my hand, a tuner monster that can decrease or increase the level of another monster I control by one. Thus, I reduce Apex Avian's level by 1, and send both my monsters to the grave to Synchro Summon Mist Valley Thunder Lord!" A huge, half-ogre, half-bird humanoid creature emerged onto the field with 2600 attack points. "Once per turn during either of our turns, I can return a card I control to my hand to increase Thunder Lord's attack power by 500. I choose Divine Wind of Mist Valley of course." The veil vanished. "Furthermore, when a card I control is returned to my hand, I can remove Mist Parrot in my grave from play to let a monster I control attack twice this turn. Now, I activate Divine Wind of Mist Valley one more time." As he did, he rode in close, right next to Yusei. "Looks like you're not the big deal Mr. Godwin thought you were. What do you say I put you out of your misery and with the rest of the trash?" Mist Valley Thunder Lord raised a massive fist and was about to drop it down onto Nitro Guardna.

"I activate Nitro Guardna's second effect; when attacked, I can remove a level-4 or lower monster in my grave from play to increase Nitro Guardna's defense by that monster's defense power." Ghost Guardna, which had been discarded for Quickdraw Synchron's effect, appeared from the grave and combined with Nitro Guardna, covering its body in ghostly fire. Upon making contact with it, Thunder Lord's body was overtaken by that fire, causing it to flail about in pain. "So long as I have my resolve and my purpose, I don't need pride that can't stand to public scrutiny." Tsubasa's D-Wheel spiraled out of control as his life points hit zero, the brakes automatically applying as the obstacles on the track automatically receded.

"And the first victory of the Fortune Cup," the M.C. said as the field spell card vanished, "goes to the underdog who never lost his cool, Yusei Fudo!" Yusei came to a stop, and at first the only sound he heard was Rua clapping and hollering as hard as he could. As he kept at it, those nearest to him were infected by his energy, and it spread until a minor applause filled the whole of the stadium.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's<strong> **Notes:** I created Nitro Guardna for two reasons; one, I felt it a shame that there was only ever one "Nitro" Synchro monster while Junk Synchron kept getting all the goodies. And second, I felt that a card that both emphasized defense and allowed even weak, low-level monsters to be useful in battle was especially fitting for Yusei. The thinking behind Tsubasa's deck was simple; I wanted an opponent who could look down on Yusei and undo just about anything he could come up with, and the Mist Valley cards worked perfectly for that purpose.


	17. Chapter 17

**Weary is the Head that Wears the Crown**

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><p>"Hey, Yusei, that was one hell of a match!" Yusei heard Mukuro exclaim the moment he entered the rest area. "Seriously, the look on that jackass's face when you raised Nitro Guardna's defense power, I'm definitely getting a copy of that footage." Mukuro wrapped his arm around Yusei's shoulder and guided him further in; it was a spacious room with plenty of accommodations, and everyone was spread out throughout the room. In particular, Yusei noticed that Aki and Ruka were at opposite ends of the room; he found that he still couldn't look directly at Aki without his eyes hurting, while Ruka looked like she was asleep sitting up. Yusei removed Mukuro's arm from his shoulder, walked over to Ruka, and gently put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?"<p>

Her eyes suddenly opened as her shoulders jerked. Then she looked up at Yusei and seemed at ease. She nodded. "Yeah, I was just thinking to myself." Her brow furrowed. "How was your duel? You didn't get hurt, did you?"

Mukuro laughed. "You should have watched it yourself little lady; your Uncle Yusei practically smacked that pretty boy around with both hands tied behind his back."

"Yusei isn't my uncle." Ruka said, her eyes narrowing a bit.

"Whoa, sorry for the assumption, I just figured with the way you two were acting with each other. No big deal, right?"

"Are you really Yusei's friend?"

"Sure am! Comrades in arm in the mission to take that jerk Jack down a peg."

"I believe you. That's why I'm going to warn you to be careful in your duel against Tsukiko; she's going to try to hurt you to make Yusei mad." Yusei figured that she must have been having a dream when he'd woken her up.

"Hurt me to make Yusei mad?" Mukuro repeated Ruka's words, and then looked over at Tsukiko; she was reading a print book, paper bound together inside a hard cover. She looked absorbed in it, hardly aware of the world around her. "Nah, that Tsukiko lady may be quiet and distant, but she's got a warm aura about her. Besides, you've been watching too many Saturday Morning Cartoons; tournaments are just tournaments, the worst thing about them is the behind the scenes politicking to prop up the pre-chosen winner. Trust me, if there is some sort of evil, sinister purpose behind all this, I'll eat my own hair." He grinned down at Ruka and pointed at the shock of red and yellow he called his hair. Ruka didn't laugh or even crack a smile, her serious expression unchanged.

"Please, Mr. Mukuro, I'm being serious, if you go through with your duel you could be really badly hurt." She kept her voice down; she didn't want to be overheard by the others.

"She's right Mukuro." Yusei kept his voice down as well. "You may not have noticed, but Tsubasa's field spell was modified to keep him from being overheard as he tried to taunt and goad me; as cliché as it may sound to you, this tournament really is more than it seems."

Mukuro lifted his shades, revealing pale blue eyes; it was little wonder he never took the shades off. "You're being serious, aren't you?"

"Yes, we are. Ruka and I have our reasons to be here, but you should still be able to walk away from all this."

Mukuro put his shades back down. "No such luck; participating in this tourney's the only thing keeping me from being shipped back to the Detention Center." That figured, and Yusei couldn't blame Mukuro for wanting to stay out of that place no matter what. Then he got down onto his knee to look Ruka in the eye. "You're a real tough kid, you know that Ruka? I bet that Daichi guy's going to be in for a real surprise when he's got to deal with you."

"Th, thank you." Ruka said in surprise as she looked away.

"Attention, may I have your attention please?" A voice spoke to them over the P.A. system. "Mukuro Enjo, Tsukiko, your presences is required at the track."

"Well, wish me the best of luck guys, 'cause after this I'm going to heaven or hell."

* * *

><p>Jack Atlas was alone in the luxury box, seated on a lower level from Rex Godwin. He had been alone ever since Mikage had told him about what had happened to Rally. He hadn't seen her or heard from her ever since that day. It had been tedious dealing with all the little details that she normally dealt with, but Jack was fine with that. She had betrayed him. He would have nothing more to do with her. Once this was all over, she would be replaced. She was expendable. He was different; he was the King of Riding Duels, the one and only. This tournament would cement that truth forever. It would prove that his word was law, his will absolute. If anything ever went wrong, it was because those around him had failed. A King who failed, who erred, who sinned, was no King at all.<p>

"Everybody Listen!" Ah, there was the abrasive voice of the M.C. now. "In just a moment we will begin the second match of the Fortune Cup tournament. Riding a Model DC70 modeled after an old fashioned chopper, he's the burning duelist whose eye is always on the throne, Mukuro Enjo!"

"You got that right!" Mukuro howled, the camera zooming in as he lolled his tongue about.

"His opponent, riding a pitch black Model DC90, the dark maiden who has seen the other side without blinking, Tsukiko!"

Already Jack was bored. He tuned out their voices, the M.C.'s and the duelists, all of them. The duel didn't matter; whoever won was going to face Yusei and lose, so why even give a damn? With nothing on the outside to occupy him, Jack found his focus turning inward.

….

"Martha, you don't understand!" A young Jack Atlas, 13 or so, said as he stood firmly before her. "Kiryu can change things; he can make the streets safe and keep Security out of our hair, make things the way they used to be like you keep telling us about. I've got to help him." Yusei, meanwhile, was sitting in the corner, pouring over a technical manual on engines, his eyebrows furrowed and brow covered in sweat.

"And how exactly is this Kiryu going to change things? Is he going to gather money to fix the roads? Try to find books to teach the children with? Send out petitions for more oversight on the Security officers?" She stood in his way in the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest.

"Like there's time to waste on that kind of junk; Kiryu's going to lead us in glorious battle, we're going to get rid of all the gangs and put all of Satellite under our protection. We can take care of all that other stuff you mentioned later."

Martha sighed and rubbed her head. "I want you to listen to me Jack, because I'm only going to say this once; if you're really determined to run off with Kiryu and act like some sort of vigilante, I won't be able to stop you; I'm too old, and I have too many responsibilities here to take care of." As though on cue, they heard an infant cry from the other room; it was probably Kari, she was the fussiest one. Yusei closed his book and went over to the kitchen to fetch a bottle of formula. "But remember Jack; what you and Kiryu are really trying to do is self-indulgence, nothing more; the sooner you get those childish ideas out of your heads, the better."

"Kiryu and I are not being childish; we're doing what we have to in order to make things better around here." Jack glared up into Martha's eyes.

"I think Jack's right, Martha." Yusei was standing there with them, he had Kari bundled up in his arms with a tight grip on her bottle. "The things you mentioned may be important, but so is protecting everyone, and that's something we can do."

"You too Yusei?" Martha then had an odd look in her eyes. "All right Yusei, if you go with them, do what you can to make sure they don't get in trouble, then I'll be fine with that." She took Kari from Yusei and stepped out of the doorway.

….

A year had passed. Jack and Yusei stood at the door to Martha's house, the sun at their back a cruel mockery of the mood. Yusei was about to raise his hand to knock on the door, but Jack stopped him. He was the one who'd made the decision to join up with Kiryu, he was the one who thought that they could change things in the Satellite, that the Satellite could be changed. It was his responsibility to admit defeat. They had lost, Kiryu died when he realized their dream was impossible, that nothing they did would make a difference at all. For a short time a lunatic ran around in his body, until Security put him down for good. Jack clenched his fist and knocked the door hard. He waited, prepared himself for the scolding he was about to get, the lecture and reprimand Martha had no doubt been preparing back when they first walked out.

Then the door opened. Martha looked them in the eyes with pity in hers, sorrow. Jack looked away, he hadn't prepared himself for that. Then he felt her arm on his shoulder, and she pulled him in along with Yusei. "You two have been through enough already." She was hugging them, holding them. For the first time since Kiryu had died, Jack felt drained, exhausted, ready to sleep once more. Then she let go of them. "Come inside, Kari and the rest have been missing you." They walked inside, back into the home they'd grown up in.

That night, as Jack lay in his bed, he looked up at his bare arm, at the Dragon Birthmark upon it. No matter what, he was not going to end up like Kiryu. No matter what, he was going to escape from all this, and so was Yusei.

….

"This is terrible!" The M.C.'s shriek tore Jack from his daydreams. "It would appear that upon his defeat, Mukuro Enjo's engine ruptured, causing him to crash! Thankfully the medical team was on standby and acted quickly, but Mukuro still looks to be in terrible condition. Fate was truly cruel to him today. Though he may have been a criminal, though he may have had a Criminal Marker on his face, even so I implore you all to take a moment of silence for this Riding Duelist who gave everything here on the field of battle."

"Sabotage?" Jack muttered to himself; the odds of a genuine accident were incredibly low, especially since all D-Wheels were examined closely to make sure nothing of the sort would happen during the duel. If it was sabotage, then Rex Godwin had to have been the one who'd ordered it, but why he would do such a thing, Jack had no idea.


	18. Chapter 18

**The True Measure of Skill**

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><p>Aki was deep in meditation, she had sequestered her consciousness deep within herself, isolated herself from the outside world. So long as that man, Yusei Fudo, was in the room with her, she could not allow herself to slip up, to give into temptation and tear him apart, flay the skin from his bones and burn the remains. Though the very thought of him filled her with hatred as vast and deep as the ocean, Divine needed him alive, he needed him on their side, and so she restrained herself. Instead, she dwelled upon Ruka, the one that Rua had spoken of as his twin sister. The resemblance was clear, at least on the outside, and she could believe that the girl possessed the Cursed Mark. There was a presence to the girl, something about her that acted as a barrier that kept her at bay; Rua had said that Ruka acted as though possessed when she dueled. Was it truly possession by some manner of spirit, or was it just how her power had manifested, a second psyche that took over during duels?<p>

All this prompted Aki to try and remember how she had been at that age, and almost immediately she encountered a wall, Divine's seal. There was a powerful heat emanating from that wall, it burned at her fingertips when she tried to reach out towards it. Every so often the wall shook as the memories tried to break loose, tried to be remembered. Aki turned her back on those thoughts, she would not be destroyed by them.

"Aki." She heard Divine's voice, saw him standing before her in her mind's eye. "I notice that Ruka does not seem to stir up the hatred within you that Yusei does."

"Divine, I do not understand it myself; even though she is a Signer, even though I can tell that her power is dangerous, somehow…" Aki reached out into the darkness in search of the words that would give form to her thoughts.

"Do not concern yourself over this matter, Aki; focus on marshaling all your powers together so that you may defeat Godwin's pawn and force the people to acknowledge your existence and their sins towards you. Leave everything else to me."

"As you wish, Divine."

* * *

><p>"We now begin the third match of the Fortune Cup tournament with its youngest competitor! Though only 12 years old, it is said that she has a spiritual connection with her cards like no other; I present to you the dueling prodigy, Ruka!" As Ruka rose up onto the dueling stage, she was surrounded by the thunderous cheers of the crowd, yet she had no trouble picking out her brother's voice in all that noise.<p>

"You show them Ruka! You show them why no one messes with you!" Ruka was reminded of the way he cheered for her back on that day when everything changed for them, and swore that this time things would end differently.

"And now her opponent; it is said that he sees every move 1000 steps in advance, he is the man who reaches his goals by the sweat of his brow, I present to you, Daichi!" Ruka watched as Daichi got on stage; he was a large rotund man with big, callused hands, and there was something about his soft facial features that was so familiar to her.

"Hello Ruka." He extended his and out to her; it looked he could hold her entire arm in it no problem. "I have to tell you, I've been looking forward to this moment."

"You have?" Ruka took his hand and felt a bolt of energy surge down her arm, which she gripped in her other hand as she flinched away.

"Oh yes; after all, I can't stay in my older brother's shadow forever, now can I?" His older brother? Ruka gasped in shock as she realized what it was about Daichi she recognized.

"Yosuke Himura…" In her mind's eye Ruka saw the two standing side by side, the resemblance was so strong, how had she not noticed it earlier?

"That's the guy; took off one day saying he was going to take on the rumored super-prodigy, came back saying he was never going to duel again. He sequestered himself in some monastery somewhere, vow of silence and everything. I just want to see the duel that shook him up so badly, you can't blame a guy for that, right?"

"Right." Ruka breathed steadily, tried to keep herself calm; this was not going to be the same as before, she was not going to lose herself. No matter what he said or did, he couldn't hurt her.

"See, you understand how it is. Besides, I'm sure my brother was just making excuses and exaggerating everything; you're not a freak or special or anything like that, just a normal little girl who got some lucky plays that got out of hand. Don't you worry anymore though, because once this duel is over with, no one's ever going to bother you ever again, okay?" Daichi armed his duel disc, and it took Ruka a moment to do the same. "You see? Look how awkward and uncertain you are, and all because other people decided to lie and exaggerate about you. Why don't I go ahead and take the first turn, give you some time to collect yourself, okay?" Daichi then drew his cards; he didn't wait for Ruka to answer him. "I'll start by summoning Naturia Mantis." A strikingly adorable, cartoonish looking Praying Mantis appeared on the field, prompting chuckles from the audience, its 1700 attack points meaning nothing to them. "Next, I'll activate Verdant Sanctuary." A swampy, murky landscape appeared all around Daichi, teaming with insect life. "Finally, I set one card to end my turn."

"Turn 2, Ruka: 4000 life points, Daichi: 4000 life points."

"M, my turn." Ruka could feel Ancient Fairy Dragon's presence trying to take over; the effort to keep it at bay created pressure on her temples. "I activate Terraforming to add a Field Spell Card to my hand."

"Yes, the cornerstone of your 'strategy', your Field Spell Cards. Suppose I were to pull on that lynchpin, take it away? Say, by activating my Counter-Trap, Exterio's Fang?" A glowing pale blue fang pierced Ruka's card. "When I control a Naturia monster, I can negate the activation of a spell or trap card and destroy it. Then, I discard one card from my hand."

"Ruka." Ancient Fairy Dragon spoke to her. "He stands in the way of your purpose. Get rid of him, now."

"I summon Playful Possum, in attack position." An opossum crawled onto the field, looking warily at Naturia Mantis, having only 800 attack points of its own. Ruka's head was pounding, she imagined an ice pack pressed against her arm to keep the burning down, to keep the mark from emerging.

"No doubt you intend to activate Playful Possum's effect to destroy itself and special summon it back to the field during your next standby phase, guaranteeing that you will have a monster on your next turn. But suppose I were to activate Naturia Mantis's effect, and discard a Naturia monster in my hand to destroy a monster you just normal summoned?" Naturia Mantis raised its spiked forelegs, leaped, and lopped off Playful Possum's head before it could even react. "You see? Just a tiny modicum of skill and control and your entire duel falls apart. Admit it; you are nothing special, just a girl who had a bit of luck in a few duels and wound up in way over her head. There's nothing wrong with that, just concede the point and move on with your life."

A deep rumble sounded all around Ruka. "Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest's effect." Ruka's voice echoed. "When a beast-type monster I control is destroyed and sent to the grave, I can pay 1000 life points to special summon this monster from my hand or graveyard." A huge, hulking brute stomped onto the field, looked down upon Naturia Mantis in contempt. "Foul deceiver, learn the limits of your meager skill; Green Baboon, attack!" Green Baboon roared as it raised a mighty club into the air before bringing down upon Naturia Mantis, squashing it for 900 points of damage.

"A decent enough turn, but will it be enough? I don't know; suppose I were to activate Verdant Sanctuary's effect to add an insect-type monster from my deck to my hand of equal to the insect that was just destroyed; might not that monster possess the power necessary to turn this duel back in my favor?" As he spoke, a dragonfly perched itself onto his shoulder before transforming into a card, which he added to his hand.

"Say whatever you wish; I will see you wiped away for the sake of my mission." Her mission, yes; Ruka had an important battle ahead of her, she had to fight in that battle, she had promised Ancient Fairy Dragon she would. No matter what, she had to fulfill her promise, no matter what anyone thought. "I end my turn."

"Turn 3, Ruka: 3000 life points, Daichi: 3100 life points."

"Is that so Ruka? What kind of mission are we talking about here? Winning a prize? A title? Just the chance to lord over everyone and convince them all that you really are special? None of those sound fit for something as grandiose as a mission, yet I can't imagine anything else being the case; do you think my imagination is lacking, or do you think your ego might be a bit swollen? I summon Naturia Cherries in defense and equip them with Insect Conversion, treating my monster as an Insect type." A tree branch appeared, extending from the Verdant Sanctuary, and dangling from that branch was a pair of cherries, each with a smiling, giggling face upon them which ceased to be quite so cutesy once their eyes became distressingly realistic compound eyes. "Will you show the reputed skill you supposedly possess, or will you simply try to brute force your way past me like the child you are? I end my turn."

"Turn 4, Ruka: 3000 life points, Daichi: 3100 life points." The sound of the crowd died down even as their mouths kept moving; Ruka saw only her enemy, she heard only Ancient Fairy Dragon's commands.

"I summon Swimming Kelpie and activate its effect, removing it from play to add a spell card in my grave back to my hand during my next standby phase." A horse with smooth black fur dashed onto the field. It shook its head and neighed, shaking water from its mane. It leaped high into the air before diving into the ground, leaving behind strange unearthly ripples in its wake. "Green Baboon, destroy Naturia Cherries." Ruka's monster did as commanded, leaving behind only a pair of tiny smears.

"The opening move had promise, but the rushed attack gave everything away; one who was truly insightful would never have destroyed Naturia Cherries without a proper follow-up. As is, now I activate my monsters effect to special summon two more copies of itself from my deck in defense position. "Furthermore, since Insect Conversion was in effect, Verdant Sanctuary's effect comes into play, letting me add a level one insect from my deck to my hand." A mosquito landed on the back of Daichi's hand, explored the new terrain for a bit, and then became a card for him to add to his hand. "That makes two monsters of my choice in my hand right now, verses one spell card that has yet to even materialize. Are you sure you want to keep this game, this charade going?"

"You're trying to taunt me into making a false move. My strategy will not be disturbed." More and more, Ruka's voice faded as Ancient Fairy Dragon's overtook it. "I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 5, Ruka: 3000 life points, Daichi: 3100 life points."

"And now my strategy reaches its fruition; I switch both Naturia Cherries to attack position, and then summon Naturia Mosquito in defense." A mosquito with a floral, pastel color scheme and large watery eyes flitted about on the field, its wings cutting the Naturia Cherries' attachment to their branches. "So long as Naturia Mosquito is on the field, any battle damage I would take involving another Naturia monster is instead inflected on you. You see? Had you not been so quick to summon such a needlessly oversized brute, my strategy would not have worked out so well. Furthermore, to show that I've taken everything into consideration, I activate Barkion's Bark, preventing you from activating any trap cards for the rest of the turn." A large wooden scale crashed onto Ruka's set card, the weight making it impossible to activate. "Now, without further delay, I'll have the first Naturia Cherries attack your Green Baboon."

The first Naturia Cherries rolled along the ground until it reached Green Baboons feet. Green Baboon snorted contemptuously and crushed the offending creatures beneath its heel, at which point Naturia Mosquito flew in and extracted Naturia Cherries' remains. Then it flew up into the air and fired a concentrated blast of red energy at Ruka, inflicting 2400 points damage to her and bringing her down to her knee. Ancient Fairy Dragon roared incoherently in Ruka's mind, but she couldn't understand her anymore, she couldn't focus, her sight had become bleary, the only thing clear anymore was the sound of Daichi's voice.

"There, you see? Nothing left you can do, you've been completely outmaneuvered, out played and exposed. So why don't you just go ahead and surrender, concede the point? No one will be upset or mad, and all those nasty rumors that have kept you locked up and away from everyone, they'll all be gone in a moment. All you have to do is put your hand on your deck, and it's all taken care of, simple and neat as can be. Doesn't that sound reasonable Ruka? Don't you think you should end the lies and stop being a burden on your brother?"

"Oh why don't you just shut up already!" Ruka looked back into the stands and saw Rua standing on his seat, his face twisted in fury. His voice cut through the fog surrounding Ruka's mind effortlessly. "Ruka, you're not listening to this bastard's crap are you? I know you're not, 'cause you're way too smart and strong to believe any of that crap about you being just a regular girl; you're the most amazing and special duelist I know and if anyone's being a burden on anyone, it's me being a burden on you. But I made a promise that I was going to be stronger so I could support you better and be the brother you deserve. So you go and show that bastard how in over his head he really is!"

"Yes, give yourself entirely over to my power and we shall expose this prattling fool's lies." Ruka closed her eyes and saw Ancient Fairy Dragon clearly.

"No." She whispered. "Rua's right." She said with greater volume. "This is my duel, my power." Ancient Fairy Dragon wavered. "I'm not a part of you, you are a part of me, and you're going to act like it."

"Ruka," Ancient Fairy Dragon's voice was shaking, "what are you saying?"

"I was scared once, I didn't understand what was happening, so I gave you control of my power. But you're me, which means that my promise with you is really with myself. I'm still going to fulfill that promise, but it's going to be on my own terms and no one else's." Ruka opened her eyes as Ancient Fairy Dragon vanished and saw everything clearly, everything as it truly was, including her opponent. "I will not surrender Daichi, there's too much at stake for me to give up now." Yes, she could see it, the shape of the danger that she had to face, the enemy she had to defeat that lay beyond her current opponent.

"If you want to have it your way, be my guest; Naturia Cherries, attack Green Baboon and bring this duel to an end." Naturia Cherries rolled into place…

"I activate Graceful Deer's effect; by sending this and one other card in my hand to the grave, I reduce all damage to me this turn to zero, and then draw one card." As Naturia Mosquito was about to apply its effect once more, Graceful Deer darted onto the field and drove it away before vanishing.

"Oh ho, now we see why Ruka is considered a dueling prodigy; by waiting until the second attack to activate her effect, Daichi was drawn into a false sense of confidence and now his Naturia Mosquito has been left alone and helpless. This is indeed the duel of a girl who is one with her cards!" Following the wake of the M.C.'s voice, the crowd roared with applause.

"I guess I have to concede, you've got more than just luck going on your side." Daichi grinned as he pointed at Ruka's arm, her Dragon Birthmark glowing bright even through her sleeve. "But it's still a bit too early to say you have a spiritual connection with your cards or anything like that. I end my turn." With that, Barkion's Bark's effect ceased, the wooden scale rotting away with all due haste.

"Turn 6, Ruka: 600 life points, Daichi: 3100 life points."

"I draw my card, and during my standby phase Swimming Kelpie's effect activates, returning Terraforming from my grave to my hand. I activate it, and add Reborn Spring to my hand and activate it." Soft green grass sprouted everywhere, delicate daisies and sunflowers budded and bloomed, and birds and bees flew about everywhere. "Now I summon Alpha Leonis." An armored, horned lion roared as it charged onto the field. "Green Baboon, destroy Naturia Mosquito." It did so, effortlessly. A ladybug added itself to Daichi's hand in accordance with Verdant Sanctuary's effect. "In accordance with Reborn Spring's effect, when I destroy a monster you control in battle, I can add a level four or lower monster in my grave back to my hand, and I choose Graceful Deer." A foal emerged from over the horizon, and as it raced towards Ruka it grew older until it reached maturity and became a card in her hand. "Now Alpha Leonis, attack directly." The lion pounced onto Daichi and raked him with all its claws for 1700 points of damage. "Furthermore, if I control a Field Spell card when Alpha Leonis inflicts battle damage, you have to skip your next draw phase."

"That's right Ruka, cut him off at the pass and kick his ass!" Rua shouted even louder than the rest of the audience.

"I'm already taking care of that Rua." Ruka said with a proud grin. "I end my turn."

"Turn 7, Ruka: 600 life points, Daichi: 1400 life points."

"So clever, so full of yourself; have you really already forgotten about the cards I added to my hand with Verdant Sactuary? You shouldn't have, because now I summon Natruia Dragonfly." At first the beating of its transparent wings was high pitched, but as it grew, that sound became deeper, louder. "For every Naturia monster in my grave, Naturia Dragonfly gains 200 attack points; I have three Cherries, Mantis, Mosquito, Antjaw, and Volcano in my grave, so that raises Naturia Dragonfly up to 2600 attack points. Furthermore, Naturia Dragonfly can't be destroyed in battle by monsters with 2000 or more attack points. In short, even if you survive this turn, you have no way of overcoming my monster. Naturia Dragonfly, attack Alpha Leonis."

"I activate Graceful Deer's effect once more." Though Naturia Dragonfly smashed its way through Alpha Leonis, Graceful Deer drove it away from reaching Ruka herself.

"That's perfectly fine by me. Now I end my turn."

"Turn 8, Ruka: 600 life points, Daichi: 1400 life points."

"My turn." Ruka looked at the cards in her hand, then the cards on her field. "I summon the Tuner monster Selkie and activate its effect." At first Ruka's monster appeared to be a seal, but as it sat on Green Baboon's shoulder, it gradually changed form to that of a young woman. "I can change the level of one other monster I control by an amount no greater than Selkie's level; Selkie is level 3, so I'll reduce Green Baboon from level 7 to level 4, allowing me to tune them together." Three rings, four stars. "The holy light of protection, shine now and become eternal life! Synchro Summon! A Regal Birth, Ancient Fairy Dragon!" As Ancient Fairy Dragon spread its wings majestically, it looked down at Ruka, who stood her ground. "I activate Ancient Fairy Dragon's effect and destroy Reborn Spring to gain 1000 life points and add Dead Winter to my hand." Spring gave way, the grass died and the birds and bees flew away. Bitter cold covered everything, but Ruka was unfazed by it all. "Now I activate Dead Winter's effect and pay half of my life points to inflict an equal amount of damage to yours."

"Just like in the duel against my brother, but this time will end a bit differently; when Naturia Volcano is in my grave, I can remove it from play to negate an effect that would inflict damage to me, and inflict that same damage back onto you." A massive volcano erupted from the ground behind Daichi. It hurled molten rocks high into the air in Ruka's direction.

"I activate my trap card, Boundary Definition; when I have a Field Spell Card on the field, I can negate the activation of a monster's effect and remove it from play." The winds blew ever harder, sending the molten rocks high into the atmosphere and freezing the volcano over. Then the winds slammed down onto Daichi, bringing him to 600 life points. "Now I activate Ancient Fairy Dragon's second effect and special summon a level 4 or lower monster from my hand, Fairy Archer!" Fairy Archer hovered just above Ancient Fairy Dragon's head, bow drawn tight with an arrow of light. "Now I activate its effect, inflicting 400 points of damage for every light attribute monster I control." Fairy Archer fired and struck Daichi right through the heart, finishing the match. As all the solid vision constructs vanished, as Ancient Fairy Dragon faded from sight, Ruka felt herself becoming woozy. She fell back, and felt someone catch her. She looked up.

"Are you okay Ruka?" It was Yusei.

"When did you get there?" He was still holding her, her legs felt really weak.

"Just a little while ago; you did really good out there." She could tell, he meant more than just winning the duel.

"Thank you, Yusei." As she closed her eyes, she heard Rua's whooping and hollering. It sounded really nice.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> When I'd first started on this story, I'd contemplated having Ruka use a Naturia deck which would act as a sort of counterpart to how Rua uses a Deformer deck, and for various reasons I decided against that, which ended up working out really well for this duel; the Naturia monsters all have a very cutesy, cartoony look to them which belies the fact that they actually have some pretty nasty effects, much the same way that Daichi uses a superficial gentle demeanor to cover his cruel inner nature. Also, Alpha Leonis is named for the same star that Regulus is, because while I like Regulus's design, I found its effect to be unacceptably weak.


	19. Chapter 19

**To Witness Her True Face**

"Ah, Senator Ikeda, it's been a while." Divine had been making his way down the hall to meet up with Aki in person when he encountered the senator. "Once again, I must thank you for your years of support; the Arcadia Movement would not be what it is today without you." He bowed to her, one arm bent under his chest.

"I am simply fulfilling my end of the bargain, Divine." Her voice was not at all how it was when she spoke in support of him and his movement for the sub-committee; there were knives hidden in her words, sharp blades sheathed in thin leather.

"As am I, Senator Ikeda." Divine rose back up and looked down at his supporter. "And I can assure you, Aki will perform to expectations."

"I have no doubt on that point." Now she girded herself in a full suit of armor, leaving nothing exposed. "After all, she's dealt with so many of your enemies before now. I can't imagine that Rex Godwin's assassin will fare any better against her."

"I agree on that point, but even so, neither I nor Aki will be dropping our guards at this tournament; Rex Godwin orchestrated all this because he believed it would allow him to defeat me and unite the Signers under his purpose, and I accepted because I believe Aki and I will emerge victorious, with all the Signers gathered beneath my banner. Naturally, the both of us will be trying everything we can to tip the odds in our favor."

"And of course, both you and Godwin have contingencies in place depending on which one of you loses."

"Of course." Divine paused, he focused. "I'm sorry Senator Ikeda, but I must be on my way; I must keep my promise with Aki and meet with her before her duel."

"Understood. I will be watching the match closely."

* * *

><p>"Please don't stand in your seat again." The suit on Rua's right said.<p>

"Right, right, it won't happen again." Like he gave a crap what some stupid flunky told him anyway; heck, if he felt like doing a handstand as he cheered his sister or Yusei on, the jerks could just sit with their thumbs up their butts and take it. Rua had helped Ruka in her duel; he'd actually managed to make a difference just by being there for her, cheering her on and supporting her, just like Aki had told him to. "Huh." Now that he thought about it, Aki was participating in the tournament too, which had surprised Rua; he remembered her saying how there was someone she had to support at the tournament, so he figured that she would have been in the stands somewhere, not out on the frontlines. Maybe that 'someone' she mentioned was really sick or something and so she was participating in the tournament to help them. Rua nodded to himself, satisfied with the outline he'd put together and was subconsciously filling out the details therein.

"Everybody listen!" The M.C.'s booming voice disrupted Rua's musings. "The final match of the first round is now upon us! Our first duelist is a mysterious young woman, a member of the Arcadia Movement dedicated to taking in Psychic Duelists and training them to control their powers; I give you, Aki Izayoi!" As the rising platform brought her up onto the dueling field, Rua found himself staring at her; she was a member of the Arcadia Movement? She was a Psychic Duelist like the Black Rose Witch? Rua shivered at the thought of the Black Rose Witch; he hadn't realized it at the time, but apparently the Black Rose Witch had attacked the Daimon Area when he ran off there and ran into Aki. They were really lucky that they hadn't run into her, who knows what could have happened. Aki must have been thinking the same thing too; she had a really grim expression on her face.

"Aki's opponent is a free spirit, a maiden whose smiles enchant and charm all those who lay witness to them; I give you, Mizuko!" Rua saw the smile that the M.C. had mentioned, and felt his heart skip a beat. It was just…she was the nicest person, she had to be. That kind of soft, warm, radiant smile as she waved at the crowd, it just couldn't be faked; no one in the world was that good an actor.

"Hi Aki." Mizuko's singsong voice was as melodious as her smile was breathtaking. "I can't wait to find out just what kind of deck you use." Rua sighed contentedly; he already knew what kind of deck Mizuko used, it was full of dancing maidens and flower girls and stuff like that, he just knew it.

"Then I will show you right now." Aki seized the first turn. "I summon Evil Thorn and activate its effect, sacrificing it to inflict 300 points of damage and to special summon two copies of itself from my deck in attack position with their effects negated." A vine sprouted up from the ground, and dangling off one end was a heavy, black, spiked pomegranate that looked more like a grenade then any fruit. It began to swell when the vine started swinging itself around until it launched the fruit directly at Mizuko, creating a small explosion where it landed. Two more vines emerged next to where the original once stood, and when the smoke cleared, there were burns all over Mizuko's clothes.

"Ah, it's definitely a good thing I thought to wear my fire retardant clothes today." Mizuko said with a giggle as she patted herself down. "You Psychic Duelists certainly play rough; that's okay, I'm a tough girl, I can take it." Rua sighed in relief; for a moment there it looked like Aki could have really hurt Mikazuki. It sure was a good thing that everyone was being real careful, especially after the last couple of duels.

"…I set two cards and activate The World Tree to end my turn." A gigantic tree appeared behind Aki, lush with leaves.

"Turn 2, Aki: 4000 life points, Mizuko: 3700 life points."

"Oh come on Aki, lighten up a little, what's the worst that could happen?" Mizuko said with a quick wink.

"What are you playing at?" Huh? What was Aki talking about?

"Playing at? Oh you silly, we're playing Duel Monsters, what else could we be playing right now?" Aki scowled, it made a chill run down Rua's spine; he began to think that maybe Mizuko ought to take things more seriously. "Here, how about I introduce you to my monster, Reese the Mistress of the Ice Barrier, in defense position?" A slim woman dressed in light blue armor and dark red cloth appeared, gracefully drawing her arms over her chest, and Rua realized that Mizuko had the right of it after all, Aki just needed to loosen up a little. "See, Reese can't be destroyed in battle by level 4 or higher monsters, so you'll have plenty of time to get acquainted with her." Mizuko tittered. "Next I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 3, Aki: 4000 life points, Mizuko: 3700 life points."

"I summon Twilight Rose Knight and tune both of my Evil Thorns to it." Three rings, two stars. "Poison that seeps deep into the skin, become my burning weapon. Synchro Summon! Appear, Venom Vine Sorceress!" A bundle of vines covered in toxic slime landed on the field, their collective shape vaguely humanoid. "Battle." Aki's monster whipped one arm out and wrapped Reese up tight, burning where they touched. "Venom Vine Sorceress can pierce defense." Reese was lifted high into the air above Mizuko. Reese shrieked as the venom dripped down from her body, but before any of it could reach Mizuko, she pulled out an umbrella that proved surprisingly durable, taking every last drop for her, though the 1400 points of damage to her life points still registered.

"My, my, my, the weatherman never mentioned anything about acid rain today; mind, it would have been really weird if he had." The crowd laughed as Mizuko tossed away the umbrella, which hit the ground with a thud as the pitted material continued to bend and warp.

"Venom Vine Sorceress's second effect; when it inflicts battle damage, I can discard one card to special summon a Venom Vine token with an attack power equal to that battle damage." Venom Vine Sorceress released Reese, who returned to her original place on the battlefield. Then Venom Vine Sorceress extended its arm out to the side as a chunk of it fell away. The chunk writhed on the ground before taking root, righting itself and acquiring its own humanoid shape. "Venom Vine token is level 2, so your monster's effect does not apply. Battle." The Venom Vine token leaned back, then whipped forward, about to lash Reese…

"I activate my trap card, Resplendent Mirror of the Ice Barrier." Rua covered his eyes with his arms as a blinding light filled the stadium. "When an Ice Barrier monster I control is targeted by an attack or card effect, I can special summon an Ice Barrier monster in my hand and make that monster the new target." The light vanished, revealing that Aki's Venom Vine token was now attacking Blizzed, Defender of the Ice Barrier, a large ice-blue bird, kind of like a frozen phoenix. "Furthermore, when Blizzed is destroyed by battle and sent to the grave, I get to draw one card."

"Why didn't you activate that trap on the first attack?" Huh? What was Aki talking about? If Mizuko had activated that trap on Venom Vine Sorceress's attack, she would have taken way more damage and she'd have lost both monsters. "How did you know about my monsters effect?" That…was actually a pretty good question now that Rua thought about it; Aki hadn't mentioned anything about her monster's effects until they were activated.

"Of course I know about your monster's effect, I know all about your deck; I was given all the recording tapes and everything days and days ago. I'd have to be a real kook not to prepare myself for a duel with someone like you." Wait, did that mean that Mizuko knew about Aki? Because Aki definitely didn't know Mizuko, and she was definitely looking pretty stressed about that. Rua was almost tempted to try and cheer Aki on, but he hardly knew her, and despite how cheerful Mizuko acted he was sure that would upset her, so he decided to keep his mouth shut.

"You would have to be an even greater fool than you'd seem to be to duel me the way you are; I activate my Permanent Trap Card, Death Petal Countdown; during each of my end phases, I can remove a Plant type monster in my grave to inflict 300 points of damage to you." The specter of one of Aki's Evil Thorn's appeared next to Mizuko, barely giving her enough time to shield herself before it exploded. "I end my turn.

"Turn 4, Aki: 4000 life points, Mizuko: 2000 life points."

"Okay, I've got everything I need now, so I think it's time I get to work; first, I play Medallion of the Ice Barrier to add one Ice Barrier monster of my choice from my deck to my hand, which I then summon to the field; come on out, Dance Princess of the Ice Barrier!" Mizuko said with a skip in her step as her monster appeared, a maiden dressed in a light outfit nevertheless meant for a cold climate. "Once per turn, when I control another Ice Barrier monster, I can activate Dance Princess's effect and reveal Ice Barrier monsters in my hand to return an equal number of set spell/trap cards you control back to your hand. I'll go ahead and reveal my Dai-Sojo, so now I don't have to worry about your face-down messing things up for me." Mizuko's monster danced so smoothly and gracefully that Rua didn't even notice how it had gotten rid of Aki's facedown card. "Next, I'm going to tune my Dance Princess to my Mistress to Synchro Summon my most fearsome monster yet." Two rings, four stars. "From the land covered in ice I call to thee! Break free from your icy prison and heed my call! Synchro Summon! Frozen soul, Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!" Mizuko said with a high pitched squeal. Brionac was a serpentine dragon with bright blue and white scales, like it was carved from ice. "Now I'm going to activate Brionac's effect, and discard two cards from my hand to return both of your monsters to your hand; of course, Venom Vine Sorceress is a Synchro so it's going back to your extra deck, and the Venom Vine token's just going bye-bye."

Brionac flapped its wings, creating a biting wind that froze Aki's monsters over as it lifted them into the air, rising higher and higher until they were out of sight. "Oh, and there's just one last teensy little thing I've got to take care of before I get to my direct attack on you." Mizuko moved her right leg a little and tapped down on the ground; a pair of hidden compartments on the ground next to Aki opened up and a pair of cables shot out and wrapped themselves around Aki's waist before she could react. "Now Brionac will attack you directly." Mizuko said in a chipper tone as Brionac let loose its frozen breath weapon upon Aki; at the same time, the cables began to glow electric neon blue and though Aki did not scream, she plainly fell to her knees in pain, gripping at her sides before tearing her arms away from the cables.

"I see you've decided to show your true face Mizuko." Aki said in a strained voice as she slowly got back to her feet, the cables providing resistance. Rua gaped in disbelief; what was going on? Why was Mizuko doing this, why was she still smiling just like before after what she just did? He wasn't the only one asking those questions, the murmuring in the crowd was almost deafening.

"Come on everyone, relax!" Mizuko called out, her charming smile frozen on her face. "If Aki were a person, it would be one thing, but she isn't; those tapes I mentioned a little while ago? They were of the Black Rose Witch; you heard that right everyone, Aki Izayoi here is none other than the bane of all who live, the Black Rose Witch!" As though it were meant to be proof, a giant holographic of the Black Rose Witch appeared in the air, removing her mask to reveal Aki's face.

"You're lying!" Rua found his voice. "That's fake footage, Aki might be a Psychic Duelist, but that doesn't mean she's some heartless killer!" Okay, no matter how nice Mizuko seemed, Aki helped him out when he needed it, so he knew where he stood. Unfortunately, so did everyone else, and their cries for punishment drowned out his small voice.

"Crush her!"

"Make that witch suffer!"

"Don't let her get away!"

"Right, right, I won't take long everyone, you'll see; I'm going to set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 5, Aki: 1700 life points, Mizuko: 2000 life points."

"You said that being the Black Rose Witch, means that I'm not a person."

"Of course; all you do is bring pain and suffering into the world, like a monster from a fairy tale, and like all monsters, your demise will be cheered and celebrated all over the land." Mizuko said as she skipped in place at the thought of it all.

"You are wrong." Rua nodded along. "I have someone who depends on me; I can't fail that person no matter what." Aki drew her card, looked at it. "I activate Magic Planter and send Death Petal Countdown to the grave to draw two cards." She did so. "Now I activate the Field Spell Card, Black Garden." A cage of vines surrounded both duelists, but Rua could just make out what was happening inside. "Next, I activate the effect of Grow-Up Bulb in my graveyard." Wait, when did that…oh, the card she discarded for Venom Vine Sorceress's effect. "Once per duel, I can send the top card from my deck to the grave to special summon Grow-Up Bulb from the grave." A bulbous white flower with an eye embedded within the roots appeared, and was immediately wrapped up in vines that sprouted black roses all over the place. "When a monster is summoned, that monster has its attack power cut in half, and a Rose Token is special summoned to the opponent's side of the field." Mizuko tipped her head at the new monster on her side of the field. "Next, I sacrifice Grow-Up Bulb to summon Rose Tentacles." A massive red rose grew up from the ground before Aki and was wrapped up in vines just like its predecessor. Another Rose Token appeared on Mizuko's side of the field. "Rose Tentacles effect; for every Plant-type monster you control, I gain an additional attack, and every time I destroy a Plant-type monster, I inflict 300 points of damage."

"So go ahead and do it already Witch, show everyone how fearsome and dangerous and monstrous you really are." Aki said nothing as she directed her monster to attack both of Mizuko's Rose tokens, destroying them for a total of 1200 points of damage; as each one was destroyed, a vine whipped out and smashed into Mizuko's body, knocking her back and off her feet. Despite that, Mizuko kept on smiling; after all, Rose Tentacles couldn't do anything about Brionac.

"Now I activate The World Tree's effect." Then Rua noticed a pair of large flowers in full bloom on The World Tree's branches that weren't there before. "When a plant type monster is destroyed, The World Tree acquires a Flower Counter; by removing two of them, I can destroy one card on the field." The flowers broke off from the tree and shot out towards Brionac.

"Ah, looks like it's time for me to activate my second copy of Resplendent Mirror of the Ice Barrier." Mizuko smirked as Pilgrim of the Ice Barrier appeared and intercepted the flowers even as it was wrapped in the Black Garden's vines; once the flowers reached Mizuko's monster they exploded on impact, leaving nothing behind. The only proof that Mizuko's monster had ever been on the field was the Rose Token that had been summoned to Aki's side of the field. "Very sneaky sneaky, just like a big bad Black Rose Witch ought to be. Too bad though; at the end of the day, monsters like you just can't win against humans like me." Rua didn't know what he found more unbelievable; the things Mizuko was saying, or that the crowd was agreeing with her!

"I set one card, and end my turn."

"Turn 6, Aki: 1700 life points, Mizuko: 800 life points."

"And now I get to start off my turn with Pot of Avarice, returning five monsters in my grave to my deck and then drawing two cards, which I then discard to return that face-down card and your Rose Token back to your hand." Whatever Aki's face-down card was, it had to have been something dangerous, otherwise Mizuko could have gotten rid of both of Aki's monsters and won with her direct attack. "Brionac, attack Rose Tentacles." As the attack consumed Aki, the cables wrapped around her flared to life once more, pulling down on her as they did. "Come on now Aki, don't you think you should stop bothering; all you're doing is making everyone mad by existing. Just listen to that crowd, they want you gone, they want you out of sight and out of mind so they can go about their lives in peace. Don't you think they deserve that?" Rua gripped his fists so tight he could have drawn blood. "I end my turn."

"Turn 7, Aki: 500 life points, Mizuko: 800 life points."

"What they deserve…" Aki said in a low voice as she got back to her feet, "is retribution."

"Aki?" Rua was getting confused again; Mizuko was the bad guy, so why was Aki saying something like that?

"I set my card back on the field, and then activate Spore's effect in the graveyard." The card she'd sent to the grave with Grow-Up Bulb's effect. "Once per duel, I can remove a Plant type monster in my grave from play to special summon Spore from my grave and increase its level by the removed monster's level." Spore, which looked just like the name suggested, appeared on the field. The specter of another Evil Thorn overlapped it, increasing its level by one. "Then, I summon Mounting Aconite from my hand and activate its effect; I remove a Plant type monster in my grave from play to increase the level of all my plant monsters on the field by the removed monster's level." The third and final Evil Thorn vanished from the grave, and now Spore was level 3 while Mounting Aconite was level 4.

"Wait…" Rua remembered something, but he couldn't have been remembering it right, he just couldn't have been.

"I tune Mounting Aconite to Spore." Three rings, four stars. "Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into Bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!" Rua fell back into his seat as the monster that gave the Black Rose Witch, that gave Aki her name, appeared on the field. "When summoned, I can activate Black Rose Dragon's effect and destroy every card on the field." Black Rose Dragon roared as it spread its rose petal wings wide, summoning gale force winds that that threatened to tear everything apart, and not just on the dueling field; the cables wrapped around Aki were cut apart, and Rua felt a rose petal slice into his cheek, a deep cut that bled real blood!

"Like I wasn't prepared for that!" Mizuko said, utterly unfazed. "I remove Royal Bodyguard of the Ice Barrier in my grave from play, discarded for Brionac's effect, to prevent its destruction this turn." Everything, the Black Garden, The World Tree, all the Rose Tokens summoned this turn, even the Black Rose Dragon itself, they were all gone, but Brionac was still there. "Too bad, you almost had me you monstrous old witch."

"I activate my spell card, Blades of Hatred." A low rumble filled the stadium, and then barbed vines tore up from the ground beneath Mizuko and wrapped themselves around her arms and legs before lifting her up into the air. Her arms and legs were pulled out tight, making it impossible for her to move at all. "By skipping my battle phase, for every card destroyed this turn, Blades of Hatred will inflict 400 points of damage." Six swords appeared in the air around Mizuko. One shot forward and impaled her in the leg; she shrieked, her smile gone. The second one struck the other leg, bringing her life points to zero.

"At least, at least I got your Signer Mark glowing you freak!" Mizuko yelled out, and when Rua looked, he saw a symbol on Aki's arm almost just like the one on Ruka's arm! Then his attention was torn back to Mizuko as she yelled out in pain once more as the third blade impaled itself in her shoulder. "Why aren't you stopping? You've won already, just put a stop to this!" The fourth blade claimed the other shoulder; blood was dripping down onto the field.

"Neither I nor my power can be stopped." The fifth blade pierced Mizuko's stomach. "I will not rest I've inflicted my pain and suffering onto you and everyone else in this cursed city." Mizuko opened her mouth as though to scream, but the sixth and final blade embedded itself in her throat, silencing her forever. Only then did it stop, only then was Mizuko's body released, dropped onto the ground in a bloody heap. Aki walked down the steps off the stage as the crowd shouted and yelled.

"Monster!"

"Murderer!"

"I hope someone kills you!"

"They should hang you!"

"They should set you on fire!"

"They should drown you!"

"Draw and quarter!"

"Shoot her!"

"Die!"

Rua's head was pounding, his breath was shallow, he could hardly see his hand in the red haze of his vision as he ran down the halls; he had to find Ruka and Yusei, he had to get them out of here, back to the apartment, there was no way he could let them keep fighting, not after what had just happened.

Then he saw Aki coming from around the corner. They stopped. "You're hurt." She reached out, Rua quickly stepped back.

"You killed her."

"And she was going to kill me." Then Rua noticed the burns where the cables had wrapped around Aki's waist; he could smell it, the scent of burnt fabric and flesh. He heard the voices of the crowd in his head again, how every last one of them had turned against Aki, how quick they were to call for her blood.

"But…" That was because she was the Black Rose Witch, she was a killer. But, why was she the Black Rose Witch? If she really was so heartless, than why did she help him before? Was it…was it just to make sure that Ruka would…but Ruka would have shown up for the tournament either way, wouldn't Aki have wanted an easier, more uncertain opponent? "Why?"

"Neo-Domino City and its people have betrayed me. I will make your sister understand this." Rua's stomach wrapped around itself over and over again, his tongue became dry as sandpaper.

"Are, are you going to try and hurt Ruka?"

There was a long pause. "I hope it will not come to that." Aki then resumed walking, leaving Rua behind with nothing but his confusion and doubt.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> I know that Reese the Ice Mistress is not technically an Ice Barrier monster and so wouldn't work with Dance Princess of the Ice Barrier's effect, but by the time I'd realized that, I would have had to have gone back and rewritten a significant chunk of the duel. So instead I just fudged Reese into being the Mistress of the Ice Barrier and saved myself a lot of work that way. Oh, and I chose the Ice Barrier cards as a play on Mizuko's frozen smile. Also, Aki's Blades of Hatred card is a reference to a certain scene from Revolutionary Girl Utena, which is a really good series that I highly recommend that you watch.

Also, a month ago Lady Von Whippingberg requested that I use her summon chant for Brionac the Dragon of the Ice Barrier and I'm finally making good on that request. I apologize for taking so long on that.


	20. Chapter 20

**Where Even Angels Fear to Tread**

* * *

><p>"Ruka, Yusei." Ruka heard her brother as he came into the Rest Area, his voice hollow and weak. She gasped when she saw the blood on his cheek. "We…" He looked away from them as his lower lip covered the upper. Ruka rushed on over, Yusei followed right behind her.<p>

"We saw it too Rua." Yusei put his hand onto Rua's shoulder, and for a moment Ruka saw a shadow in Yusei's eye; a man with long, pale-blue hair, and a look in his eyes just like Aki's. "It's okay to be scared."

"Here." Ruka took out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped away at Rua's cheek. He flinched as she touched the wounded area. "You should get a bandage so that cut doesn't get infected."

"Ruka, how can you worry about something like that at a time like this? You're going to be dueling Aki, you could be killed."

"I know Rua, but it's like I tried to tell you before; I knew this tournament was going to be dangerous, and now I know why." She saw Black Rose Dragon in her mind's eye, how it tore itself apart to destroy everything it could without exception. Ruka had awoken with a scream when it had happened, and when Aki had activated Blades of Hatred, a terrible pounding appeared in her temples, like her eyes were about to burst. If Yusei hadn't been there…"My duel with Aki, if I run away from it, a lot of people could be hurt or worse."

"I know that, but…" Rua's lip quivered. "I know supporting you is important, but isn't there anything else I can do to help you? I know you have to protect everyone, but isn't there some way I can protect you?" A tear fell down his cheek and stung him when it touched his wound.

"Ruka." She looked up at Yusei along with her brother. "Take Rua to the infirmary. Rua, after your wound is treated, go over Ruka's deck with her."

"Yusei." Ruka and Rua spoke at the same time in the same tone. They nodded to him and walked down the hall towards the infirmary, only to discover that there was a line; Rua was not the only one injured by Black Rose Dragon's effect, though thankfully no one seemed badly hurt.

"I hope this won't take long." One man said as he gripped his right arm. "I want to see that witch get what she deserves in person."

"Don't think you're the only one." The woman in front of him had her hand pressed against her forehead. "I don't care who does it or how they do it, just so long as they dispose of that witch for good."

"Whoever does take care of her, they better get a medal of honor from Godwin for cleaning up his mess for him." The man at the head of the line looked down at his hand, which had a deep gouge across the life line. "Honestly, Security's gotten so incompetent lately; criminals are still roaming the streets at night, and when they questioned me about what I saw at the Daimon Area, they just acted like they were writing it down without even bothering."

"What?" Rua gaped in shock. "But then, that would mean…"

"Rua?" He turned to her and smiled awkwardly.

"No, it's nothing. I, uh…" Rua looked around, motioned Ruka away from the line. He cleared his throat and whispered to her. "When I ran away before, I ran into Aki; I didn't realize it then, but she must have been trying to hide from the Security officers."

"You ran into her?" Ruka felt her heart clench; if Rua had gotten caught in the Black Rose Witch's, in Aki's crossfire after their fight…

"Yeah, and it wasn't the first time either. Nothing happened then, but this time, she told me to apologize and support you no matter what. And, just before I got to the rest area, I ran into her again, and she was worried about, well, this." Rua pointed to the cut on his cheek. "And, I'm not sure, but I think she's going to try to make you join the Arcadia movement."

"The Arcadia Movement?" Yes, she did have her powers, but they were subtle and intangible, nothing like a Psychic Duelist's ability to take a monster or a spell and make it real. "This tournament's just the beginning."

"Yeah, I guess it is." Rua took a deep breath and postured. "Don't worry though; with me backing you up, nothing bad is going to happen to you."

Ruka couldn't help a small giggle. "Thanks Rua." She then looked over at the line and saw that there was just one person left. "Come on Rua, we still need to get you taken care of."

"Right." The twins rejoined the line.

* * *

><p>"Kiryu." When Yusei saw Aki's face in the monitor just before she began her final turn, he saw the same eyes Kiryu had had when he'd given into despair and madness. "What am I supposed to do?" He had failed to save his friend, his leader; he had been too young and foolish back then, and for all that he'd grown and learned since then, his ignorance and weakness seemed even greater than before. Rally's death, his defeat against Jack, his failures hovered over him like specters mocking his conceit that he could accomplish anything, could protect or save anyone.<p>

"Yusei Fudo." He looked up and saw his opponent for the next round, Tsukiko, standing over him. "I've just received word regarding Mukuro Enjo's condition." Mukuro Enjo; a duelist he'd met at the Detention Center who desired revenge against Jack for his own reasons. He'd wondered why Rex Godwin had invited him to the tournament; his D-Wheel's crash following his defeat answered that question with uncompromising clarity. "It seems that he will survive, though he will likely never participate in a Riding Duel again." Tsukiko's husky voice was even as she spoke, her steady body language impossible to read.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you look like you could use some good news." Yusei supposed that was true. Still…

"I thought the idea was to intimidate me, anger me."

"Yes, it was." Tsukiko was unperturbed by his words. "The plan was to impress upon you how dangerous your situation truly was, that you would duel against me with righteous fury in your heart and thus trigger the awakening of your Dragon Birthmark."

"And now you've undone all that. Why?"

"Because the plan no longer matters to me." She turned away from him, and for a moment Yusei saw a sliver of emotion in her eyes.

Yusei was about to question her when the P.A. system started up. "Attention, may I have your attention please? Yusei Fudo, Tsukiko, your presences are required at the track."

"Death." Tsukiko said, still looking away from him. "No matter how hard you try, you can never truly prepare yourself for it." She walked away from him, and since they shared the same destination, he followed behind her.

"You're talking about Mizuko, aren't you?"

"When the blades struck, that was the only time I ever saw her stop smiling." Yusei believed her.

"I shouldn't have pried."

"It doesn't matter; you seem like someone who can hold his secrets." Yes, she could probably tell the shape of his thoughts just by looking at him.

"I see." As Yusei continued to follow, he thought about the difference between Tsukiko and the other duelists that Godwin had brought in. Then he noticed something. "What happened to Tsubasa and Daichi?"

"You noticed that?" She paused. "Daichi succeeded in his mission against Ruka, while Tsubasa…consider that Director Godwin had knowingly sent Mizuko to her death." Tsukiko resumed walking.

"You're expendable."

"The Detention Center's repairs are almost complete." Yusei read between the lines and wasn't surprised; he knew for himself what sort of person Rex Godwin was. "Criminals are not the only undesirables in Godwin's city."

"No one has the right to call anyone an undesirable." That thinking had driven Kiryu to his death.

"Judging from your appearance, I would estimate that you were only a year old when Zero Reverse happened; you have no way of remembering what those days were like. Again, you are very fortunate in that regard."

Yusei remained silent the rest of the way down to the track, where their D-Wheels were being kept. He saw the pit crews applying the finishing touches to their machines, and when Yusei double checked their work to make sure that nothing had been added or removed, they did nothing to stop him. As he worked, his hands going through ingrained motions from years of tinkering with engines, his mind wandered.

….

"Yusei." Kiryu stood on top of a heap in the junkyard, his back to him. "You remember those kids we saved the other day?"

"Yes." A trio of orphans, 8 years old or so, being used to smuggle goods; if caught by Security, they would have been abandoned by their masters, marked, and then thrown back into the streets, where no one would have any use for them. Kiryu had restrained himself and had taken care to plan out the assault carefully before engaging the enemy.

"I heard back from the couple who took them in for us; looks like they're holding everything together." The couple in question was an elderly pair of men who despite everything managed to maintain a spry energy. "This is the difference we have to make Yusei, we have to protect the children and the people who take care of them if we're going to make the Satellite a better place."

"I agree." Yusei felt a chill wind rustle his hair, he heard bits of scrap tumbling off the heap.

"Is that so?" Yusei then saw a familiar dark red dripping down from Kiryu's hands. "Then why didn't you help me Yusei?" Kiryu turned around, blood spattered all over him, blood not his own. "Why did you betray me and side with the Security pigs?" Kiryu jumped down from the heap and stood over Yusei. "How can you expect to protect anyone if you won't destroy your enemies?"

….

"Everybody listen!" The M.C.'s voice brought Yusei back into the present. "The second round of the Fortune Cup tournament will begin shortly, despite the tragic loss of one of its competitors; such is the pride and determination of these duelists, that nothing will stop them from pursing their chance for glory!" Yusei ceased examining his D-Wheel and got on it, preparing himself to ride. "Yusei Fudo, the silent shooting star of the Satellite, must now compete against Tsukiko, who defeated Mukuro Enjo in a single turn!" Yusei heard Tsukiko rev her engine, he did the same. "Will Yusei avenge his fallen friend, or will Tsukiko devastate her opponent with all the cold impartiality of the reaper? Now, let us begin; Riding Duel, acceleration!"

Yusei and Tsukiko raced across the track, taking care to keep their speeds the same. "I will go first." Tsukiko drew her card. "I summon Fabled Raven to the field." A shadowy humanoid figure appeared with red-tipped wings. "When I control a Fabled monster, I can send Fabled Grimro from my hand to the grave to add one Fabled monster from my deck to my hand." A pale skinned woman with a dress made of black feathers flew down onto the field; she flapped her obsidian wings into Yusei's face, forcing him to avert his eyes as she vanished. "Now I activate Fabled Raven's effect; once per turn I can discard any number of cards from my hand to increase Fabled Raven's level by the number of cards so discarded. I discard three to raise it to level 5." Fabled Raven roared in triumph as the cards were sent to the grave, its wings increasingly consumed with crimson. Then Tsukiko's grave glowed, and three ghosts appeared from it; two were children, a grinning boy with sharp fangs and a girl covering her face in her hands, both with bat wings. The third was a powerfully built man with bat wings and a lizard's tail.

"A family." Yusei said to himself, his voice torn apart in the wind.

"When Fabled Lurrie is discarded, it is special summoned to the field." The boy gnashed its teeth as it joined Fabled Raven's side. "When Fabled Krus is discarded to the grave, I choose one level 4 or lower Fabled monster in my grave aside from Krus, and special summon that monster to the field." The girl vanished without ever revealing her face as the man took to the field. "Now, I tune my level 1 Lurrie and my level 4 Ashenveil to my level 5 Raven." Five rings, five stars. "Calamity descends upon the land, sparing no one. All hope vanishes in the face of that truth. Synchro summon. Appear now, Fabled Leviathan." A throne appeared in the air, and seated upon it was a red-haired man clad in red and gold armor, red wings draped like a cape over his shoulders. He stood up and took flight, maintaining position above Tsukiko.

"Oh ho! Much like Yusei's first opponent, Tsukiko performs a high-level Synchro summon right off the bat, and her monster's effect happens to be equal and opposite to Mist Wurm's; if Fabled Leviathan is destroyed and sent to the grave, Tsukiko can add three Fabled monsters in her grave back to her hand, ensuring that she will be able to repeat her combo from this turn. Of course, it won't be easy for Yusei to destroy Leviathan, seeing as it has 3000 attack points!"

"Yusei Fudo." Tsukiko spoke in an even, unyielding tone that tore the wind apart. "I shall grant you one more fortune this day; you will not face the Black Rose Witch. I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 2, Yusei: 4000 life points, Tsukiko: 4000 life points."

"Tsukiko, I have no intention of accepting your fortune for me; I summon Fortress Warrior and set one card to end my turn." A creature made of stone with four legs and four arms holding up a helicopter landing pad over its head appeared at Yusei's side.

"Turn 3, Yusei: 4000 life points, Tsukiko: 4000 life points."

"Like before, Yusei has summoned a low-level monster in attack position; will he, like before, turn this seeming weakness into a sudden burst of nigh-unstoppable power?"

"No matter what you have in mind Yusei, it will not avail you. I now activate my trap card, Reckless Greed; I draw two cards, but I must skip my next two draw phases." She did so. "I now summon The Fabled Rubyruda to the field." A deranged looking bird with curious fangs flew down by Fabled Leviathan's feet, a tiny red devil hanging onto its back for dear life. "Rubyruda, attack Fortress Warrior." At the behest of its rider, Rubyruda slammed into Fortress Warrior as hard as it could, but despite its 1100 attack points against Fortress Warrior's 500, the latter was unscathed.

"Once per turn Fortress Warrior can't be destroyed in battle. In addition, I take no battle damage in a battle involving Fortress Warrior."

"So this is your perseverance then? You are indeed determined to throw everything away."

"Then you believe I will die if I face Aki?" He recalled Mizuko's eviscerated form, and for a moment it was replaced by that of the Security officer

"She has never spared her target; she will not change that for either of us. In light of this, it makes no sense for you to go against her."

"And you?" Tsukiko gripped a locket that Yusei had not noticed there before.

"I've made my peace with my fate; Fabled Leviathan, attack and destroy Fortress Warrior." Fabled Leviathan summoned a golden two-handed sword and cleaved Fortress Warrior in half.

"I activate my trap card, Soul Rope." A golden band of energy shot out from Fortress Warrior's remains towards Yusei's deck. "When a monster I control is destroyed and sent to the grave, I can spend 1000 life points to special summon a level 4 or lower monster from my deck. Come forth, Tuning Supporter." The golden band tugged on a card near the top of Yusei's deck and pulled it onto his duel disc in defense position.

"Then I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 4, Yusei: 3000 life points, Tsukiko: 4000 life points."

"And now I activate my face-down card, Reckless Greed to draw two more cards."

"Oh ho ho! This is an especially good move on Tsukiko's part, since Reckless Greed's effect of skipping her next two draw phases doesn't stack; thus, she has effectively gained two cards at no cost!"

"Tsukiko." Yusei spoke as he drew his card. "I understand." Yusei whipped around a patch of spikes. "I've been where you are now." He saw himself as he was when Kiryu was beaten bloody, his body stuffed into the back of a car and taken away; final confirmation of his death came days later. He saw himself as he stood at Rally's grave. "I've found my path out from there." He saw Rua and Ruka smiling, he saw Martha holding the answers he needed. He saw Jack and Aki, the two he had to face to set things right. "I now activate Machine Duplication; when I control a machine monster with 500 or less attack points, I can special summon two more copies from my deck." One card near the middle, one card near the bottom, both joined the original's side. "Now I summon Road Synchron." Yusei's tuner monster flew above the monsters that were to aid it. "When used for a Synchro Summon, I can increase Tuning Supporter's level by one; therefore, I increase the level of two of my Tuning Supporters and tune them to Road Synchron." Four rings, four stars. "Gathering hopes will evoke a new horizon! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Dash onward, Road Warrior!"

The jet black warrior clad in shining chrome armor stood equal to Fabled Leviathan. "I draw two cards from Tuning Supporters' effects, and now I activate Road Warrior's effect to special summon a level 2 or lower warrior or machine monster from my deck. Come forth, Nitro Synchron." A quirky looking robotic gas pump appeared on Yusei's field. "I activate my final Tuning Supporter's effect and tune it to Nitro Synchron." Two rings, two lights. What emerged hardly seemed a proper monster by itself, just an oversized and overelaborate gauntlet. "I draw one card with Tuning Supporter's effect, and then equip Armory Arm to Road Warrior to increase its attack power by 1000; furthermore, when the equipped monster destroys a monster by battle, my opponent takes damage equal to the destroyed monster's attack power." Road Warrior stuck its arm out as Armory Arm equipped itself to it.

"Oh my…this is an absolutely stunning display of skill! Yusei retrieved four cards from his deck and drew three more, thinning his deck and bringing about an incredible hand and field advantage! I submit to you, if this young man becomes the King of Riding Duels, this will indeed be a glorious day in Neo Domino City's history!" Despite himself, Yusei couldn't help a quick smirk; Jack was likely livid after hearing all that.

"Road Warrior, attack Fabled Leviathan!" Road Warrior raised its Armory Arm clad arm, and a giant clawed hand made of fire flared into being.

"I discard Fabled Milacha to change the target of your attack to The Fabled Rubyruda." A feral bat winged creature appeared on top of Road Warrior's head. It clawed, kicked and scratched until it had successfully disoriented Yusei's monster and redirected the course of its attack. Then it vanished. "When The Fabled Rubyruda is attacked, I can discard a Fabled monster to negate that attack." The Fabled Rubyruda flapped its wings to create a hurricane force wind that blew out the great fiery fist. "Furthermore, when The Fabled Ganashia is discarded, I then special summon it to the field with an additional 200 attack points." A fanged humanoid elephant appeared with a purple imp underneath its feet. "Yusei, you say you have found your path out from all this; what good is such a path if it leads to a pointless death?"

"I have no intention of dying; I will not fail again." Yusei saw Aki and Kiryu standing side by side, the same look in their eyes. "I set two cards and end my turn."

"Turn 5, Yusei: 3000 life points, Tsukiko: 4000 life points."

"What an incredible turn! Despite Yusei's amazing play, Tsukiko was able to defend herself and gather greater field presence. However! Now her draw phase has been sealed off, and she has only one card remaining in her hand; will it be enough to overcome Yusei's fearsome monster?"

"I now summon Fabled Topi," a girl with blue hair done up twin-tail style, seemingly the counterpart to Fabled Lurrie. "I tune it to The Fabled Rubyruda." Four rings surrounded a single star. "Above the empty and barren landscape it flies. In its eyes it sees that final truth. Synchro Summon! Appear now, Fabled Ragin." Clad similarly to Fabled Leviathan, Fabled Ragin had the same style of gold armor, but with black wings that appeared to be upside down. "If I have one or fewer cards in my hand when Fabled Ragin is Synchro Summoned, I can draw until I have two cards in my hand." She did, once again circumventing the cost of her Reckless Greed cards.

"Now I discard Fabled Miztoji to activate its effect and treat Fabled Ragin as a tuner monster." A shriveled old man appeared before Fabled Ragin, perched forward on a cane. It assessed the larger, younger monster, and found it worthy of its gift, a burst of energy from its hand before it vanished. "Now I tune The Fabled Ganashia to Fabled Ragin." Five rings, three stars. "A dark wind howls in the empty valley. The truth it speaks is heard by no one. Synchro Summon! Appear now, Fabled Valkyrus." Unlike the other Synchro Monsters Tsukiko had summoned, this one's armor was primarily black and red, with gold accents here and there. "I now activate Valkyrus's effect; once per turn, I can discard a Demon-type monster from my hand to draw one card." A skeletal figure in a ragged robe appeared before Tsukiko; it moaned as it pointed to the top card of her deck, which she drew, causing the skeletal apparition to vanish. "I have found it now, your moment of defeat; I activate Fabled Raging Fire and destroy one Fabled monster I control to destroy one monster you control, and inflict damage equal to the destroyed Fabled Monster's defense power." Fabled Leviathan's entire body burst into unearthly blue fire as it threw itself into Road Warrior. Both were consumed in flame, which then washed over Yusei; blindsided, Yusei felt his D-Wheel clip a pillar on the track. "Now, in accordance with Leviathan's effect, I return it, Grimo, and Krus back to my hand." The Synchro monster returned to her extra deck, the others back to her hand.

"Next turn you'll be able to summon Leviathan back to the field." Yusei's sight had returned, he was back on track.

"That's right; this monster, this moment will recur endlessly. Even if you survive this turn, you will not be able to advance against me. Now, Fabled Valkyrus, attack directly." Tsukiko's monster conjured up a massive black battle axe and threw it at Yusei.

"Trap card activate, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow." The cobbled together barrier blocked the assault and then returned to Yusei's side of the field.

"I end my turn."

"Turn 6, Yusei: 1000 life points, Tsukiko: 4000 life points."

"Yusei yet survives, but how long can that last? If Yusei is unable to destroy Valkyrus, then Tsukiko will be able to use Valkyrus's effect to discard Krus and summon Urustoz back from the grave; with that, she can use its effect to destroy two of Yusei's spell or trap cards and thus ensure her victory! It all comes down to this turn, this draw!"

Yusei drew his card. He looked at it. "Everything is now in place; I discard Level Eater to special summon Quickdraw Synchron, then I reduce Quickdraw from level 5 to level 4 to special summon Level Eater from the grave." Yusei's monsters stood side by side. "Now, I activate my trap card, Give and Take; I special summon a monster from my grave to your side of the field in defense position, and increase the level of a monster I control by that monster's level; therefore, I special summon Nitro Synchron to your side of the field to increase Level Eater's level to 3." As Nitro Synchron appeared by Tsukiko's monster, it shot a blast of invigorating energy into Level Eater. "Now I tune Level Eater to Quickdraw Synchron." Four rings, three stars. "Gathering feelings will now become a new force! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Blaze on, Nitro Warrior!" Yusei's monster flew overhead. "Now I equip Nitro Warrior with Junk Barrage; when it attacks and destroys a monster, I inflict half that destroyed monster's attack power as damage. Furthermore, when I activate a spell card, I can increase Nitro Warrior's attack power by 1000 points for one battle."

"I see." Tsukiko's D-Wheel began to slow down. "In addition, once per turn when Nitro Warrior destroys a monster by battle, it can switch a defense position monster to attack position and attack it." She sighed. "Once again, I will survive."

"Yes, you will, and that means you will have the chance to change things." Yusei slowed down as well, keeping pace with Tsukiko. "As difficult as it can be, we have to live for the sake of those who were important to us, both those we trusted and those who trusted us."

"…It would seem that you have some understanding, Yusei Fudo. I will watch your progress in this tournament with great interest."

Yusei nodded. "Nitro Warrior, attack." Yusei's monster destroyed Valkyrus, and then Nitro Synchron for a total of 4900 points of damage. Their D-Wheels came to a stop, and Yusei watched as Tsukiko was escorted away by a pair of Security officers.

"What an impressive turnabout! Yusei Fudo will be moving on to the finals; will he face the gentle dueling genius Ruka, or will he face the devastating and cruel power of the Black Rose Witch? Stay in your seats, for we will find out shortly!"

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><p><strong>Author's<strong> **Notes:** I'd chosen the Fabled monsters for Tsukiko as they seemed to me a less malicious version of the Infernity monsters, still representing the idea of someone with no present and nothing to live for but without all the hate and anger. And yes, for Yusei this duel was pretty much a practice run for if he has to duel Aki.


	21. Chapter 21

**Discordant Anguish**

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><p>"Aki." Divine watched as she slept within the rejuvenation tank, the chemical bath mending the wounds caused by Godwin's trap; he had expected Rex to pull a stunt like that, and had prepared accordingly. "Wake up Aki." He spoke in a soft, quiet tone, and watched as Aki opened her eyes; he saw something in them, something that should not have been there. "What's wrong?"<p>

"The memories you sealed away tried to free themselves again. I held them back, but I heard a new voice, screaming."

"A new voice?" Divine furrowed his brow. Then he smiled warmly at her. "It doesn't matter Aki; what happened before can no longer hurt you. Just give me a moment." He reached forward, physically and mentally; he gently caressed her face as he tended to the locks that he'd so carefully put in place, repairing and reinforcing as necessary. Finished, he withdrew from her, and was met by her warm smile that only he saw.

"Thank you Divine." There was still a silver thread of doubt there in Aki's mind; Divine would keep his eye on it, but was confident that he could deal with it after the tournament.

"You don't have to thank me Aki; I will always be there to help you, just as you are always there to help me."

"Yes." She paused. "I will be dueling Ruka."

"The first of the Signers you must face; she's a surprisingly skilled opponent, her strategies difficult to read and anticipate. Between that skill and the power of her mark, it is little wonder that she faints after her duels."

Aki raised her arm, looked at the mark upon it. "She has been cursed as well."

"Yes; because of that mark, she has lived her whole life under Godwin's thumb without ever realizing it, unaware of how he intends to use her. We must enlighten her, reveal the web cast all around her and show her how to cut it all down; once armed with this truth, she will join us and bring us one step closer to completing our vision."

"I understand Divine, and I won't let you down." Aki sat up, liquid dripping down from her body. The door then opened a crack.

"Lord Divine." Akira's voice squeaked from just behind the door. "The, Aki's clothes, they've been fixed." He stuck his hand through the crack, shaking as it held Aki's outfit. Divine smirked as he walked over to the door and opened it all the way. Akira fell down and frantically covered his eyes.

"Akira." He stopped squirming as Divine kneeled down to him, though his hands were still over his eyes. "If you are to achieve your potential, you must overcome your barriers. Now come, hand Aki's clothes to her." Divine pulled Akira up and into the room, closing the door behind them. "It would not do for Aki to be late for her match."

"Yes, you're right sir." Akira shuffled his way towards Aki, her clothes still held out at arm's length. "Miss Aki, I think the way you defended yourself against Mizuko was amazing; I know I could never duel like that."

"Not as you are now, no." Aki took her clothes from Akira and started dressing herself. "Remember that day in the training room; remember the power you demonstrated and bring it under control, that you might repay Divine for taking you in."

"Yes, you're right Miss Aki, and I've been working very hard and I haven't been making trouble for anyone." No, he hadn't, Divine thought to himself as he nodded. Akira had in fact made considerable progress in his training; with the way things were going, he would have no difficulty fulfilling his mission when the time came.

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><p>"There you are!" The Security officers who had flanked Rua in the stands rushed into the infirmary just as the nurse finished applying the bandage on his cheek. "Get over here; we're taking you back to your seat." Ruka watched as the lead officer grabbed Rua's arm; her brother shot a dirty look at him as he pulled his arm away.<p>

"Don't get a bug up your butt, I'll be right there, I've just got one thing to say to my sister before we go; your boss wouldn't like it if she were distracted and worried before the duel, right?" The officer growled.

"You have one minute; our boss wouldn't want her to be late either." Ruka watched as they walked over to the doorway, preventing anyone from getting in or out. Then she looked to Rua.

"All right Ruka, I don't have a lot of time, so I'm just going to get to the point." Rua took a deep breath, pulled his deck out, and retrieved a pair of cards from it. "I want you to use these cards in your duel against Aki; I know it's not much, but at least this way it'll be like I'm right there with you."

"Rua, you do realize I might not draw these cards of yours." She said as she swapped out two cards from her deck in favor of her brother's.

"If they were just anyone's cards, sure, but I put my heart into my cards, so I know they're going to be eager to help you out." Ruka could feel that warmth from Rua's cards, that heat that came with her brother's eagerness.

"And I thought I was the one with a special spiritual connection to the cards." Ruka laughed lightly.

"Hey, just 'cause you blow me out of the water doesn't mean I'm completely useless." Rua smirked as he rubbed the back of his head.

"All right kid, time's up." Rua groused, but went with the Security officers, flashing Ruka a victory sign before being taken out of sight.

"Rua." Ruka took a moment to just hold her deck to her heart. "I won't let you down, I promise." She put her deck away and made her way to the dueling field. As she approached her destination, she could hear the rumbling of the crowd. Their words were indistinct, but the feelings and intentions behind them; Ruka shivered, and then felt Kuribon's presence pressing into her as though to try and warm her up. "It's okay, I can be brave." The spirit chirped and returned to her deck, to her heart. Ruka breathed in deep, walked to the door that led to the elevated platform, and walked in.

"Everybody listen!" The M.C.'s booming voice rang in her ears as the platform slowly rose up. "In just a few moments, we will begin the second match of the semi-finals!" The ceiling opened up, Ruka put her hand over her eyes. "Like an angel descended from on high, her dueling skill is a heavenly sight to behold; I give you, Ruka!" Ruka felt the thunderous applause hammering all around her, she tried to accept that energy and let it bolster her. "And now, like a figure out from a nightmare, the Black Rose Witch who has terrorized the city and claimed numerous lives, Aki Izayoi! As Aki Izayoi appeared on the dueling field, the crowd unleashed its ire upon her.

"Murderer!"

"You won't get away this time!"

"Ruka's going to crush you, you witch!"

"You'll get what you deserve!"

"You'll pay for what you did to my sister!"

"Show that witch no mercy!"

"I hope you suffer before you die!"

Ruka called upon Ancient Fairy Dragon's presence to stand as a shield against all that hate. "Ruka." She looked up at Aki; her eyes, they were a lot like Yusei's.

"My brother, Rua, he said that he ran into you before, that you told him to support me."

"He was afraid that you hated him." Aki looked up into the stands; Ruka didn't have to follow to know that she was looking for her brother. "You are both innocent, unaware of the evil of this city."

"What do you mean?"

"The people of this city are used to getting their way; they are used to being able to use their privilege as recognized citizens against those whose rights have been taken from them. Those who refuse to accept their role are made to suffer without consequence." Aki then inserted her deck into her duel disc.

"Ah!" Ruka gripped her arms as she fell to her knees, her breathing rapid and shallow and her eyes closed tight squeezing out tears; it was…it was…it was like her nails had just been ripped out from her fingertips. She opened her eyes, she looked down at her hands, saw that they were still whole and healthy, but the pain did not go away. Then she looked at Aki's deck, the feelings that she'd put into her deck; she didn't know, she had no idea that someone could put so much hurt into anything.

"You witch!"

"Coward!"

"How dare you!"

"Everyone!" Ruka cried out as she got back to her feet. "I'm okay." They couldn't see through her eyes, they had to take her word for it. "Please, just let us duel." They didn't quiet down, but Ruka drew her cards all the same, even with as tender as her fingers were. "I activate the Field Spell Card, Ancient Forest." As the trees appeared all around them, Ruka could feel the watchful presence of the spirits that dwelled within them. The sounds of the crowd became faint; Ruka had to strain her ears just to make them out, and truth be told she wasn't going to.

"This is your power…" Aki looked all around. "I can understand why Godwin wants to control it."

"Godwin, you mean, Director Godwin?" The pain in Ruka's fingertips was no longer so acute.

"Yes; while Divine was able to rescue me, Godwin has kept you firmly out of his reach, sequestered away in the highest tower like some princess. In this way, he has been able to carefully control your environment and observe the results, all without any concern for your safety or wellbeing." Thoughts of all the people who'd come to duel her, chasing after rumors of the super-prodigy who spoke with spirits ran through Ruka's mind; now she wondered about the people behind the rumors, who'd told everyone about where she lived, when they could reach her, how to get past Security, everything.

"You said that Divine rescued you?" Aki nodded. "What did he rescue you from?"

"He saved me from a waking nightmare of betrayal; he took the memories of those times and sealed them away where they can't hurt me. He can do the same for you, take away your memories of loneliness and shame so that you can have your chance for revenge against this city."

"Revenge?" Ruka shook her head. "No, I don't want that; maybe Mr. Godwin has kept me trapped, maybe he has been using me, but I've never been lonely, never ashamed; my brother, he might have messed up a lot but he's always done his best to protect me and take care of me and he's always thought the world of me. I will always treasure those memories and I wouldn't give them up for anything; now I have the chance to protect him and everyone else and I won't let them down! I summon Kuribon and set one card to end my turn." Ruka's monster chirped wildly as it joined her side.

"Turn 2, Ruka: 4000 life points, Aki: 4000 life points."

Aki stood silent, her eyes closed and her breathing low and steady. "I had hoped to avoid this, but it would seem that these cursed marks of ours will not allow for that." She opened her eyes, and Ruka felt the air all around herself getting thicker, harder to breathe. "Ruka, I will share with you a measure of my pain, the suffering that this heartless city has inflicted upon me." Aki drew her card. "I summon Seed of Flame." A jet of fire erupted from the ground in front of Aki as a hideously deformed flower clawed its way to the surface, its roots structured like a human body. "Next, I activate Wonder Clover; by discarding a level 4 Plant type monster from my hand, one monster I control can attack twice this turn." Seed of Flame reached into its own fire and tore chunks of it away until it had enough for each gnarled hand. "I attack your monster." Seed of Flame lashed out with its right arm, stretching it in an attempt to grab Kuribon.

"I activate Kuribon's effect; when targeted by an attack, I can return Kuribon to my hand to reduce battle damage to myself to zero, and increase your life points by your monster's attack points." Kuribon flew up into the air beyond Seed of Flame's reach, showering light upon Aki with equal intensity to Seed of Flame's fire. "And now I activate my trap card Spiritual World." There was a flash of light and then everything was doubled. "When my opponent recovers life points, I can draw two cards." Everything became one again as Kuribon rushed back to Ruka's hand, joining the cards she'd drawn. Then Ruka saw Seed of Flame's left arm rushing towards her, she could feel the heat of the fire. "I now discard Swift Scarecrow from my hand to negate your direct attack and end the battle phase." Ruka's monster greatly resembled Yusei's Scrap Iron Scarecrow, a significant part of why she'd put it in her deck. "Furthermore, now that the battle phase is over, Ancient Forest's effect activates."

The trees rustled even though there was no wind. Energy suffused the grass and gathered around Seed of Flame, forming an inescapable barrier. Then Seed of Flame vanished as the energy dissipated. "Seed of Flame's effect; when destroyed by a card effect, I special summon a level four or lower plant monster from my grave other than itself, and then I special summon a Seed Token to your side of the field in defense position. Come forth, Lord Poison." A creature made of wood with huge thorns jutting out of its body appeared on Aki's side of the field; just looking at it made Ruka's eyes wince, keeping her from noticing the presence of the giant seed now on her side of the field. "Now I set two cards and end my turn."

"Turn 3, Ruka: 4000 life points, Aki: 5600 life points."

"I activate Supremacy Berry; when I have fewer life points than my opponent, I recover 2000 life points." A dove flew down from the Ancient Forest and dropped an olive branch into Ruka's hand; it burst into light, infusing her with its energy. Now she looked upon Aki's monster with full confidence. "Now I summon Sunlight Unicorn." The monster's arrival was preceded by the sound of its neigh and the clop of its hoofs on the ground. It ran up to Ruka's side, a white unicorn with a mane made of blue fire that was cool to the touch. "Now I activate Sunlight Unicorn's effect; once per turn I can check the top card of my deck, and if it's a spell card, I can add it to my hand. Otherwise, I send it to the bottom of my deck." The moment Ruka touched the top card of her deck, she could feel that familiar warmth coming from it; thus, she played it without having to look at it. "I now equip Sunlight Unicorn with Hardened Assault Armor." Advanced electronic armor appeared on Sunlight Unicorn's body. "During my turn, Sunlight Unicorn can't be destroyed by card effects." Yes, thanks to her brother's card, she wouldn't have to worry about Ancient Forest's effect. "Sunlight Unicorn, attack and destroy Lord Poison."

Sunlight Unicorn charged with its head down, its reinforced horn able to punch right through Lord Poison without incident. "Lord Poison's effect." As its wooden body crumbled away, the thorns fell point down into the ground. "When Lord Poison is destroyed by battle and sent to the grave, I can special summon a Plant type monster from my grave other than Lord Poison. Return, Seed of Flame." Lord Poison's thorns were consumed by Seed of Flame's fire. "Now I activate my trap card, Poison Brambles." Seed of Flame's body began to swell. "I destroy one plant monster I control and special summon two Posion Bramble tokens to your side of the field in defense position." Seed of Flame exploded, unleashing a pair of thick, noxious brambles onto Ruka's side of the field. "Now I activate my permanent trap card Rose Flame; whenever a Plant type monster is summoned to your side of the field, you take 500 points of damaged." The Poison Bramble tokens launched white hot thorns into Ruka's body; she screamed as she felt her skin get ripped apart in dozens of tiny gashes. "Now Seed of Flame's effect activates." Lord Poison returned to Aki's side of the field, and when the Seed Token appeared on Ruka's side of the field, it shot out a pair of burning tendrils that wrapped around her wrists and held on for several seconds before they turned to ash.

Ruka looked down at herself and saw that the injuries had not been nearly as bad as they'd felt; the pain that she'd felt was just like when the duel first started. "Aki," Ruka said, gasping as she tried to catch her breath, "Is this, is this really your pain?"

"Only a portion of it." Ruka had a vision of the ocean, and a single drop gathered from it. "Though Divine has sealed away my memories, this anguish in my heart is indelible; I can never forgive this city for doing this to me, not until I have inflicted this suffering back onto it."

"But…" Ruka looked out into the stands where the people continued to shout, their voices muffled by Ancient Forests' power. "Won't that just make them hate you even more?"

"They were the ones who started this cycle of hate." Aki raised her arm, showing her Dragon Birthmark as it glowed bright. Ruka looked down at hers as it did the same. "Why should they be free of the suffering they deserve after inflicting so much upon me?"

Ruka felt herself standing on a precipice, darkness encroached around her, and then a new sound pierced through the veil of the Ancient Forest; somewhere high in the stands, a baby cried. The darkness was gone. "Because not everyone hurt you Aki; no matter what you or this crowd says, there are still innocent people that I have to protect. I made my promise, and I'm going to keep it no matter what. I set two cards and end my turn."

"Turn 4, Ruka: 4500 life points, Aki: 5600 life points."

"Very well; I will let you experience more of my pain. Hopefully you will understand then." Aki drew her card. "I summon Nettles and tune Lord Poison to it." Two rings, four stars. "Fire that burns deep underground, emerge now the true power of life. Synchro Summon! Appear, Burning Root Witch!" As Ruka gazed up at the burning effigy before her, as she looked upon the numerous masks each depicting a face twisted and torn, she felt small once again. "Once per turn, I can forgo attacking with Burning Root Witch to destroy all other plant-type monsters on the field, and inflicting 600 points of damage for each one." The fire turned white as it lashed out at Ruka's plant monsters, wrapping them up tight until they exploded. The flames washed over Ruka's body, causing her to hack and cough as the breath was knocked out of her. "Furthermore, when a Poison Bramble token is destroyed, you take 400 points of damage." The thick burning brambles whipped at her legs, bringing Ruka to her knees. "This is the pain you would have me ignore Ruka; you would have me turn the other cheek to the people of this city and let them go unpunished for their sins."

"Aki…" Ruka knew in her heart that Aki was wrong, but her body was so weak, so exhausted…

"Please Aki, please stop it!" Ruka and Aki both turned their attention to the sound that had broken through the veil of the Ancient Forest; Rua, who was being restrained by the Security officers around him, was shouting and trying to make his way down onto the field. "You said you didn't want to hurt Ruka, so please stop hurting her!"

"Rua…" Ruka breathed in deep and ignored how much it hurt as she turned her attention back to Aki. "I now activate my trap card, Heart of the Forest!" A heartbeat echoed from deep in the Ancient Forest. "When I take effect damage while I control a field spell, I can special summon a Light attribute monster from my deck, so I summon Sunny Pixie." The red haired fairy flew out onto the field next to Sunlight Unicorn. "Then I activate my other trap card Fairy Tale, and special summon High Pixie from my hand." The purple skinned, blue haired fairy smiled amusedly. "Aki…" Ruka was breathing hard as Aki turned her attention back to her. "I'm not going to let you hurt me or anyone else."

"Rua, Ruka…" Aki closed her eyes. For a moment Ruka felt a presence within Aki that hadn't been there before, but it was gone before Ruka could be sure it was really there. "Very well; I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 5, Ruka: 1300 life points, Aki: 5600 life points."

"I activate Sunlight Unicorn's effect once more." Ruka took the card from her deck, suffused with the same warmth as Rua's other card. "Now I tune High Pixie to Sunny Pixie." One ring passed around six stars. "The holy light of protection, shine now and become eternal life! Synchro Summon! A Regal Birth, Ancient Fairy Dragon!" As Ruka's dragon took form, she felt an invigorating energy filling her whole body. "Sunny Pixie's effect lets me recover 1000 life points." Ancient Fairy dragon rained down a gentle light upon Ruka. "High Pixie's effect means that when Ancient Fair Dragon destroys your monster by battle, you'll take damage equal to my monster's defense power, and now I equip Ancient Fairy Dragon with Shield Attack, switching its attack and defense power." Ancient Fairy Dragon's golden armor disappeared as its claws grew long and sharp. "And now I activate Ancient Fairy Dragon's effect, destroying Ancient Forest to recover 1000 life points and add Blazing Summer from my deck to my hand, which I then activate." As the forest gave way and the sun grew more and more intense, the crowd fell silent in awe of the Ancient Fairy Dragon, radiant with the power that Ruka had given it. "Ancient Fairy Dragon, attack Burning Root Witch."

Ancient Fairy Dragon flew up into the sky and gathered the heat of the sun into its wings. It flew down and wrapped those same wings around Burning Root Witch, around Aki; the battle damage came to 600, Blazing Summer inflicted 2400 points of damage, and High Pixie's effect inflicted 2100 points of damage, leaving Aki with only 500 life points left. When Ancient Fairy Dragon returned to Ruka's side of the field, Aki was unfazed. "I activate my trap card, Cold Burning Vengeance." Pale fire sprang into being all around Ruka's monsters. "When a monster I control is destroyed by battle, I switch your monsters to defense position, and then I special summon a level-four or lower monster from my grave." The fire wrapped itself around Sunlight Unicorn and Ancient Fairy Dragon, forcing them down as the Seed of Flame resurrected onto Aki's side of the field.

"Oh my, so close!" The M.C.'s voice rang clear across the field. "Ruka very nearly executed a one-turn-kill against Aki; hopefully she will be able to recover from this delay before the Black Rose Witch can inflict any more damage with her powers." The crowd murmured, their old energy now gone.

"I set one card and end my turn." Ruka kept breathing in and out, in and out.

"Turn 6, Ruka: 3300 life points, Aki: 500 life points."

"And now I activate my trap card, Sacred Domain; I sacrifice one monster I control to keep another monster from being destroyed by battle or by card effects until my next standby phase." Sunlight Unicorn vanished into light which then surrounded Ancient Fairy Dragon like a halo. Now Ruka felt safe; even if Aki summoned Black Rose Dragon, she couldn't use its effect to destroy Ancient Fairy Dragon, and there was no way for her to get enough cards on the field for Blades of Hatred to defeat her. She could make it.

Aki's face was cold and hard. "I activate Fragrance Storm to destroy one Plant-type monster on the field and draw one card." Seed of Flame was shredded by gale force winds, triggering its effect once again; Lord Poison was special summoned to Aki's side of the field while a Seed Token appeared on Ruka's side. Rose Flame's effect was triggered, but when the Seed's tendril tried to grab Ruka, Ancient Fairy Dragon interposed itself between them; the damage still registered, but Ruka was untouched by Aki's power. "The card I drew is Black Rose Harbinger, a plant-type monster, so I draw one more card." She did so. "I now summon Black Rose Harbinger." A black rose blossomed, its petals forming the shape of a young woman in tears. "I tune Lord Poison to Black Rose Harbinger." Three rings, four stars. "Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into Bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!" Aki's dragon looked upon Ruka's with scorn. "When Black Rose Harbinger is sent to the grave, I can destroy one plant-type monster on the field to inflict four hundred points of damage to my opponent." The Seed Token burst apart, unleashing a storm of black rose petals; again, Ancient Fairy Dragon shielded Ruka, protecting her from the worst of Aki's power.

"Now, I activate Black Rose Dragon's effect; by removing a plant-type monster in my grave from play, I switch a defense position monster you control to attack position and reduce its attack power to zero." Black Rose Harbinger appeared from the grave only to be consumed by Black Rose Dragon; the dragon lashed out with its vines, trapping Ancient Fairy Dragon as it forced it into a position of vulnerability, unable to move at all.

"Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Ruka cried out, her heart racing; between Rose Flame and Black Rose Harbinger's effects, she'd been brought down to 2400 life points, the same as Black Rose Dragon's attack points. With Ancient Fairy Dragon reduced to zero attack points…

"If you are strong, Ruka." Aki's voice sounded strained. "You will survive, and you will understand." Ruka was shivering all over; she'd failed, she'd broken her promise, her brother, Yusei, everyone… "Black Rose Dragon, attack." Ruka watched as Black Rose Dragon released a flare of black rose petals burning with a dark fire towards Ancient Fairy Dragon; it tried to absorb the attack with its body, but the petals cut through her like thousands of burning blades. Ruka couldn't even move, and just as the attack was about to reach her…

"Yusei!" He stood before her, facing her, his back taking the full brunt of Aki's attack; Ruka could see his face, torn up in pain, but he refused to make a sound, just like Aki during her duel against Mizuko. The seconds crawled as Ruka watched the attack spill over Yusei's back; he positioned himself carefully to make sure that none of it even grazed her. Heat and the smell of burnt flesh and leather pressed down on Ruka's face, the noxious scent unlike anything she'd ever experienced before in her life, making her stomach writhe. Finally it ended. Yusei stood over her still, his arm glowing with a crimson light. "How?"

"The moment she switched your monsters to defense, I knew what she was going to do." Yusei's voice, it sounded so drained, empty. "Are you okay?"

"Ye, yes." Then Ancient Fairy Dragon, Black Rose Dragon, and Blazing Summer vanished, and Ruka fell forward. Yusei caught her; his body felt so warm.

"Ruka!" She heard Rua call out to her, and with a half-open eye she saw him running up to the dueling field, the security officers not far behind. "Ruka, Ruka!" His eyes looked swollen, and snot was dribbling down from his nose. "Ruka!" He was there with her. He took her hands in his.

"I'm sorry Rua." She gasped out. "I wasn't strong enough…"

"No…" Rua continued to talk, but Ruka fell unconscious and thus did not hear his words.

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: <strong>There's a mild theme of recurrence to this duel, with the way Aki keeps recycling the effects of Seed of Flame and Lord Poison, and of course there's how Ruka's deck takes on aspects of Yusei and Rua's.


	22. Chapter 22

**A Hand Reaching Out**

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><p>"No," Rua said, his body shaking as he held Ruka's hands in his, "I'm the one who should be sorry; if I hadn't given you those cards, maybe you would have won." He then looked up at Yusei through bleary eyes. "I'm so sorry Yusei, I tried to help Ruka like you said and I messed everything up." He then felt Yusei's hand on his head. Rua looked up at Yusei, saw the resolute look on his face.<p>

"You both did your best. Make sure you tell Ruka that when she wakes up." Rua looked back down at his sister; she was fidgeting in her sleep, and she'd never done that before. She'd never lost before either; Rua breathed in as deeply as he could and wiped off his nose, Ruka was not going to see a weak crybaby when she woke up. He took Ruka onto his back as Yusei handed her off to him. He and Yusei nodded to one another, and then Yusei turned around. Rua couldn't help gaping at the mesh of burn scars on Yusei's back as they continued to steam; could they all have really come from Aki's attack just a moment ago? And speaking of Aki…her face, there was something so wrong about it, something Rua just couldn't name. He ran off stage as fast as he could with Ruka, hoping against hope that Yusei would be okay, that he wouldn't get hurt, that he could stop Aki from hurting anyone ever again.

"Yusei…" Ruka whispered in her sleep, and Rua then noticed that her Dragon Birthmark hadn't stopped glowing the way it usually had after a duel. He really, really, really hoped that meant something good was going to happen, they could really use something like that.

* * *

><p>"Mr. Godwin!" Professor Akutsu's high voice shrieked through the video phone as the man spun about in place. "In just that one duel, we managed to achieve just under half the Momentum we needed for our objective! The preceding duels were lucky to break 4 or 5 percent of our target, this is simply astounding! Oh, how I wish that I could be there in person to witness the incredible power that those Signers were able to generate!"<p>

"Akutsu." The man stopped pirouetting. "Considering that one of those Signers is the Black Rose Witch, your desire is akin to that of Icarus's." Akutsu had a horrified expression on his face. "Just let me know the moment when enough Momentum has been generated to track down the Fifth Dragon."

"Yes sir, absolutely sir, signing off sir!" The man gave one last spin before pressing down on the switch, disconnecting the call.

"It truly is impressive though." Jaeger said as he reviewed Ruka's profile on his data pad. "I had wanted to prepare Ruka for this battle more thoroughly, introduce her to more challenging opponents to build her up for this moment, yet she performed beyond even those expectations."

"That was Yusei's influence." Yusei Fudo; he overtly resembled his father, but there was a great deal of his mother in him as well; her immediate subordinates always seemed the healthiest and happiest of those working on the Momentum project. "He seems to have acted as a catalyst for Ruka."

"So at least we know now what happens when the Signers are aligned to one another as opposed to standing in opposition; speaking of which, this next duel will likely be even more intense than the last, and will likely provide us with everything we need. If that proves to be the case, then the true purpose of this tournament will be fulfilled before the King has the chance to enter the fray."

"Jack would not care about that even if he did know; whichever duelist wins, Jack will demand to duel them, and it will hurt us not at all to let him have his way."

"And what about when I get my way?" Rex Godwin did not turn at the sound of Divine's voice as the door closed behind him. "Surely Mizuko's loss was an inconvenience for you at the least."

"If I were not prepared to make sacrifices for the safety of this city, I would not be worthy of my position."

"Is that so?" Divine took his seat. "I personally believe in sacrificing my enemies."

* * *

><p>Jack stormed down the hallway, his arm burning and throbbing and being just one giant pain in the ass as his Dragon Birthmark burned even through his shirt sleeve. "Yusei." What the hell had he been thinking? Why did he take that attack from the Black Rose Witch? He could have been killed! Had he no sense of decency? Didn't he understand that he had to survive long enough to face him, the King of Riding Duels? Wasn't that why he came to the tournament in the first place, to confront him once and for all in an attempt to redeem himself of his pathetic defeat? Why would he jeopardize that just to protect some random child? Maybe it was some sort of stupid trick, trying to act like he wasn't the one who'd failed Rally back then.<p>

"Can you believe him Mikage?" Jack looked over his shoulder as he spoke, and only then remembered that Mikage was not there, that she hadn't been there since that day not long ago. Jack stood alone before his D-Wheel, the Wheel of Fortune; how was this possible? He took out the Stardust Dragon from his deck, grabbed it with his burning arm and glared down at it, and for a moment felt as though it glared back at him. "When did everything stop making sense?" As he put his helmet on, he knew he himself was no exception.

* * *

><p>"Yusei Fudo." Aki's voice hummed low in his ears, the glow on her arm stinging his eyes. "Why did you interfere?" The pain in his back was something he could put aside.<p>

"Aki, this has to stop." She stared at him, a storm of fury behind her eyes.

"Aren't you from the Satellite? How can you side with them after everything they've done to you?" Memories came to mind; Yusei set them aside along with the pain.

"Because this isn't about them; Aki, you have to stop this before you destroy yourself." History would not repeat itself.

"…What?" Her eyes narrowed, she tipped her head as she brought her hand to it. "You…you…" A deep rumble filled the air. "How dare you!" Aki snapped her head back up, her eyes wide open; Yusei could see himself in those eyes, his image distorted and twisted beyond recognition. "I will not allow you to deny me my revenge, Yusei Fudo!" She grabbed a card from her deck and raised it up into the air; bolts of energy lashed all around her as the rumbling descended into the ground. "You and your cursed mark, I will erase them from this world!" A massive vine covered in thick thorns erupted from the ground beneath Aki, lifting her into the air. It then tore its way across the ground, carrying Aki over to the track. "Face me Yusei Fudo, my power demands it."

"Very well Aki." In his heart, Yusei was not surprised by Aki's display of power, nor was he concerned by it. He ran down to the track, to where his D-Wheel was being kept.

"I, I don't believe my eyes!" The M.C. shouted, speaking for the audience. "The Black Rose Witch, Aki Izayoi, is going to use her powers to engage Yusei Fudo in a Riding Duel! Can such a thing even be possible? Will Rex Godwin not intervene even now?"

"I will not." Rex Godwin's towering holographic image appeared in the center of the stadium. "I have every confidence that this duel will be brought to a satisfactory resolution; furthermore, measures have been taken to ensure the safety of the audience." Thick transparent plates shot up from slots in front of the stands, rising high enough to cover everyone. "In the event that this measure should fail, other steps will be taken to make sure that only the duelists will be affected by their battle."

"Well, there you have it, ladies and gentlemen!" Yusei had just mounted his D-Wheel. "A man from the Satellite who's shot his way through the ranks like silver star, and the Black Rose Witch who showed no mercy even to a child; there is no doubt in my mind that this duel will be an epic to be remembered throughout all of dueling history!" Yusei revved his engine, and swore that he heard an echo. "Riding Duel, Acceleration!" Yusei took off, and the moment he was parallel to Aki, the vine carrying her tore through the track at breakneck speed; the wind stung at his exposed back as he rode along, the traps and obstacles normally activated now inert, likely from the damage Aki was causing.

"Yusei!" He turned his head towards Jack's voice, saw him ride up to him, his arm glowing the same as the other Signers; this was part of Godwin's design. "I expect you to win this match! Now take this!" He rode in closer until they were within arm's reach of one another, and then tossed a card at him. Yusei caught it, and the sensation from his arm told him exactly what card it was. "Do not disappoint me Yusei!" Jack turned around and rode off.

"This defies all expectations!" The M.C. shouted out at the top of his lungs. "For Jack Atlas, for the King of Riding Duels, to gift a duelist with one of his own cards, is unprecedented! So many incredible marvels have unveiled themselves before us, and the duel itself has not yet begun!" Yusei placed the card into the Extra Deck slot in his Duel Disc.

"It doesn't matter what card Jack gave you." Aki stood steady in the midst of a nest of gnarled thorns surrounding her. "There is no power in this sinful world that can spare you from my retribution." She claimed the first turn, drawing her cards. "I activate Seed of Deception to special summon Evil Thorn from my hand and activate its effect." The Evil Thorn erupted from the ground in front of Yusei, and while he swerved around it, he failed to escape the explosion; the heat made it difficult to breathe while the force pushed him to the side, forcing him to correct his course. Once he was back on track, he saw the other two Evil Thorns emerged from the vine that she stood upon. "Now I sacrifice my Evil Thorns to summon Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis." The Evil Thorns rotted away as Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis grew behind Aki, a four headed flower with two sets of petals like yellow wings, its full height more than sufficient to drape itself over her. "I set one card, and end my turn."

"Turn 2, Yusei: 3700 life points, Aki: 4000 life points."

"This card…" It seemed so long ago, those days when he'd wanted a D-Wheel for no better reason than to be able ride with this card at his side. It seemed not long ago when Jack had stolen it and brought about tragedy for them both. In the present moment, a sensation of peace flowed from it, permeated the whole of Yusei's being. In the time to come… "Aki, I will show you the true meaning of this card; I first summon Junk Synchron, and then I activate One for One, discarding a monster card from my hand to special summon a level one monster from my deck, Tuning Supporter." Two familiar monsters appeared at Yusei's side, flanking his D-Wheel. "Furthermore, when a monster with 1500 attack points or less is special summoned to my side of the field and my opponent controls a monster, I can activate Hell Reckless summon to special summon other monsters from my hand, deck, or grave of the same name." The additional Tuning Supporters flew overhead. "When used for a Synchro Summon, Tuning Supporter's level can be treated as 2." Yusei applied the effect twice; thus Junk Synchron became 3 rings while the Tuning Supporters became 5 stars. "Clustering wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Stardust Dragon!" Stardust Dragon unleashed an unearthly howl throughout the silent stadium.

"That dragon…" Aki stared up at it, at its 2500 attack points which exceeded Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis's 2200.

"In addition, when sent to the grave for a Synchro Summon, Tuning Supporter allows me to draw one card from my deck." Since three Tuning Supporters had been used, Yusei took three cards from his deck. "Stardust Dragon, attack!" Stardust Dragon flew towards Aki, gathered the energy for its breath weapon…

"Trap card activate, Wall of Destruction!" Aki's monster glowed, turning a bright incandescent orange. "When my opponent declares an attack, I destroy one card I control to destroy every monster they control." A sphere of energy began to envelop both monsters…

"I activate Stardust Dragon's effect." Stardust Dragon spread its wings out. "When an effect is activated to destroy a card on the field, I can sacrifice Stardust Dragon to negate and destroy that effect." Stardust Dragon wrapped its wings around Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis and thus around Aki; it absorbed the power of her trap card into itself, and then crumbled apart into dust before being scattered across the track by the wind.

"You gave up your dragon, just to save my monster? What the hell are you playing at Yusei?"

"I set three cards and then activate Stardust Dragon's effect." The dust along the track gathered together, each mote glowing like a tiny star. "During the end phase of a turn when I sacrificed Stardust Dragon with its effect, I can special summon it back to the field." A silver flash of light, and the Stardust Dragon flew with all haste back to Yusei's side.

"Turn 3, Yusei: 3700 life points, Aki: 4000 life points."

"I see." Aki fell silent as the vine stood upon continued to tear its way through the track. "Very well then." She drew her card and looked at it. "I remove an Evil Thorn in my grave from play to activate Mark of the Rose and take control of your Stardust Dragon." A rose seal appeared in the air before Stardust Dragon, waiting for the monster to pass through it.

"I activate my trap card, Joint Future." A beam of light shot out and cleaved the rose seal in half. "I discard a card to negate your spell card and return it to your deck." Aki returned the card in question back to her deck.

"So you saw that coming then? You have only delayed the inevitable; I now activate Fragrance Storm to destroy my own Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis and draw one card." The wind threatened to tear Aki's monster apart.

"I activate Stardust Dragon's effect once more!" Once more Stardust enveloped Aki and her monster, and once more Stardust was torn apart.

"I knew you would play the martyr Yusei, and now you will suffer for it; I summon Bud of Vengeance and declare my direct attack." A thorn covered bud sprouted off the vine that Aki stood upon and launched itself at Yusei like a missile.

"I activate my trap card, Defense Draw, reducing battle damage to zero and drawing one card." Yusei shifted gears and dodged Bud of Vengeance's attack as it crashed into the track, creating a crater in the process. It then flew back to Aki, returned to the vine that had spawned it.

"Now I will attack with Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis." Aki's monster gathered phosphorescent energy and then sprayed it all across the track, making it impossible for Yusei to avoid.

"I activate my remaining trap card, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow." Yusei's trap hovered over him throughout the duration of Aki's assault, spinning and turning as needed to block every particle of caustic energy that threatened to rain upon him before finally vanishing back into face-down position. With no more cards to play, the turn came to an end, and Stardust Dragon resurrected.

"Turn 4, Yusei: 3700 life points, Aki: 4000 life points."

"I summon Speed Warrior and sacrifice it to special summon Turret Warrior." Speed Warrior dashed across the track before vanishing into the light, Turret Warrior appearing in its stead with 2100 attack points in accordance with its effect. "Stardust Dragon, attack Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis." Stardust Dragon began its attack once more, and this time it connected, destroying Aki's monster for 300 points of damage.

"Amaryllis's effect activates." Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis's scattered petals flew all around Yusei, surrounding him as they glowed an incandescent orange. "When this monster is destroyed and sent to the grave, I inflict 800 points of damage to my opponent." The petals then exploded all around Yusei, damaging him and his D-Wheel.

Again, Yusei ignored the pain. "Turret Warrior, attack Bud of Vengeance." Yusei's monster opened fire upon Aki's, tearing it apart before destroying it for 500 points of damage.

"When Bud of Vengeance is sent from the field to the grave, I destroy one monster my opponent controls." Aki's monster reappeared beneath Stardust Dragon and shot up thorn covered vines to capture it. In turn, Stardust Dragon enveloped Bud of Vengeance in its wings, sacrificing itself once again, and once again it revived.

"Turn 5, Yusei: 2900 life points, Aki: 3200 life points."

"Yusei, you claimed that I was destroying myself, yet look at yourself; you took my attack before this duel even began, and every time you try to attack me, my power claims yet more of your life; how long do you think you can keep sacrificing that monster of yours before I end you for good?"

"I will last as long as I have to, Aki; Divine might not allow you to see it but your path will destroy you Aki, just as surely as it destroys everyone around you."

"Do you really think I would believe you Yusei? Divine saved me, he has earned my trust in this world of liars and traitors, and he is the only one I can believe in. You, you who would try to stop me and thus stop his vision, you who know nothing of the time and care he has spent doing everything in his power to bring some semblance of peace to my heart, you above all others I will destroy!" Aki drew her card. "I activate Ominous Bloom, allowing me to add a Plant-type monster from my deck to my hand if I have a higher-level Plant-type monster in my grave. Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis is level 8, so I add the level 4 Lord Poison to my hand and summon it in defense." The same monster that Aki had used against Ruka, the one that revived her hate time and again, the very embodiment of her recurring suffering. "Furthermore, during my end phase, I activate Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis's effect and remove one other Plant-type monster in my grave from play to special summon itself from the grave in defense position." The phantasm of the second Evil thorn appeared and vanished. Once more, Aki was enveloped by her own monster.

"Turn 6, Yusei: 2900 life points, Aki: 3200 life points."

"What a devastating combo! With this, Aki can protect herself from up to three attacks and inflict serious damage onto Yusei! Stardust Dragon's power may be great, but if Yusei can't take back control of this duel, even that may not be enough to save him against the Black Rose Witch!" The M.C.'s voice was frantic and fearful.

"I summon Rockstone Warrior and have it attack Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis." Rockstone Warrior leaped onto Aki's vine and tore Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis apart with its bare hands; the petals stuck to those same hands, and when the monster returned to Yusei's side, the petals exploded , inflicting their damage onto Yusei; for a moment he lost his grip on his D-Wheel as he gripped at his sides where yet more of his coat had been burnt away. "Turret Warrior, attack Lord Poison." Bullets rained down upon Lord Poison, and from its remains Bud of Vengeance revived. "Stardust Dragon." Yusei's monster attacked and then sacrificed itself so that no others were lost.

"To think that Divine thought you could prove useful." Aki looked down at Yusei with narrowed eyes.

"Why do you trust Divine?"

"What?" Aki's eyes were wide open.

"You told Ruka that he sealed away painful memories of yours; how can you be sure that he didn't do more than that?"

"You…" Aki's whole body was shaking. "This is the source of my hate for you, Yusei Fudo; not content to suffer from your own curse, you want to drag me down with you. No, there is nothing you can do or say that can ever make me doubt Divine; for even trying, I will not stop until I have poured every last bit of my pain into your being and destroyed you with it!"

"You can try Aki; if taking on that pain will help you to save yourself, then I will do so; I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 7, Yusei: 2100 life points, Aki: 3200 life points."

"It seems your arrogance will not cease until you die." Aki drew her card. "I set one card, and during my end phase I remove the third Evil Thorn in my grave from play to special summon Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis from my grave in defense." Once again, Aki was veiled; to reach out to her was to feel her pain.

"Turn 8, Yusei: 2100 life points, Aki: 3200 life points."

"And now I activate my trap card, Sown Seed." Aki called out as vines spread out onto the track, tearing it up even further. "I send a level 2 or lower Plant-type monster from my deck to the grave to special summon a level 4 or lower Plant-type monster from the grave in defense position." A plant with a pair of large glaring eyes on its leaves sank appeared and sank beneath the ground. "Revive, Lord Poison!" The promise of Aki's undying hatred was manifest once more.

"I summon Bolt Hedgehog and activate my trap card Graceful Revival to special summon Speed Warrior from my grave." Yusei's field was now full of the monsters he'd spent years gathering together, piece by piece. "Bolt Hedgehog, attack Amaryllis." Yusei's monster rammed its way through Aki's monster; the wind guided the explosion directly into Yusei's exposed back, flooding his body full of pain. It took Yusei over thirty seconds to recover his focus and resume his attack. "Rockstone Warrior, attack Lord Poison." Yusei's monster smashed Aki's, whose revenge revived, the cycle seemingly never ending. "Stardust Dragon!" The dragon howled as it destroyed and sacrificed yet again. "Turret Warrior, Speed Warrior, direct attack!" Aki stood still as the solid vision constructs attacked her. Stardust Dragon resurrected.

"Turn 9, Yusei: 1300 life points, Aki: 200 life points."

Then her expression became uncertain. "Even through all that, despite all your injuries, you still fight." She breathed slow and steady. "Where does this perseverance come from?"

"…I had a friend like you; he gave into grief and madness and tried to destroy everything around him. I tried to stop him, tried to save him. I failed. I don't want to fail again."

"A friend?" Aki slowed down, looked down. "What is…?" The vine carrying Aki was almost at a stop. "Is this…?"

"Please trust me Aki; you can end this here and now, there's still time." Yusei watched and waited; he made no move towards or away from Aki as she came to a complete stop on the track.

Suddenly she snapped her head back up and shrieked. "You!" She sped back up and crossed in front of Yusei's path, accelerated away from him, forcing him to follow after her. Her face was torn in an expression of primal fury that mirrored Kiryu's exactly. "Yusei Fudo!" She drew her card. "I activate the spell card Burning Root Harvest; I remove three Plant type monsters in my grave from play to draw three cards, but during the end phase I will take 1000 points of damage." Bud of Vengeance, Lord Poison, and Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis all appeared, each one shredded by burning tornadoes as she drew her cards. The fire then gathered around her, aiming inward. "I first activate Imprisoning Vines; if I have a Plant type monster in my grave, I can prevent you from activating a face-down spell or trap card you control until the end phase." Yusei's Scrap Iron Scarecrow trapped in countless vines. "The second card I play is Earthquake to switch every monster on the field to defense position." The earth rumbled and stone pillars thrust up from the ground, forcing Yusei's monsters against the track. "Finally, I summon Copy Plant, and as a Plant-type tuner monster, this allows me to special summon Dark Verger from my grave." Two plants stood at Aki's side, each glaring at Yusei. "I activate Copy Plant's effect to copy Turret Warrior's level." Copy Plant was level 5, Dark Verger level 2. Five rings, two stars. "Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into Bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!" The moment Aki's dragon appeared, the pain in Yusei's arm flared, pain not his own. "Now I activate Black Rose Dragon's effect and remove Copy Plant in my grave from play to switch Stardust Dragon back to attack position with zero attack points." As Black Rose Dragon ensnared Stardust, Yusei felt as though he were the one being entangled.

"Aki…"

"You almost tricked me." She pointed down at him. "Die, Yusei Fudo."

"Ruka, Rua, Jack…" Yusei revved his engine and rode right into the path of Aki's attack as it consumed Stardust Dragon.

Then, everything stopped; Aki, his D-Wheel, Black Rose Dragon's attack, everything. "You are a remarkable man, Yusei Fudo." Yusei turned his head and saw a man with dark red hair in a dark green suit walking down from the stands onto the track. "Despite everything you keep trying to reach out to Aki; you remind me of myself in that regard."

"Who are you? How are you doing this?" The man smiled as he bowed to Yusei, one arm crossed under his chest.

"I am Divine, founder and leader of the Arcadia Movement and Aki Izayoi's legal guardian. As for all this…" Divine tapped his own head with his fingertip.

"This is all happening in my head."

Divine nodded and floated ten centimeters off the ground. "You are a guarded man, Yusei Fudo; it was only after you focused every fiber of your being and your power to reaching out to Aki that your defenses lowered enough in turn for me to reach out to you." Divine turned to look at Aki, Yusei did the same; tears were welling in the corners of her eyes. Divine sighed. "You have no idea how beautiful her smile was, Yusei; brave, determined, eager, I've spent years doing everything in my power to try and heal her, help her achieve her revenge against this city that has wronged her so deeply, and yet it is not enough." He turned around and faced Yusei with a stern expression. "I will not waste your time; I believe that you, Ruka, and Jack, as fellow Signers, can help Aki to find peace. If you join the Arcadia Movement, I can shelter you from Rex Godwin's agents and together we can end his tyranny, bring an end to the divide between Neo Domino City and the Satellite and force the people of this city to face the reality that lies behind their 'utopia'. What say you, Yusei?"

"You claimed that you've been trying to heal Aki, yet you've altered her memories and have been taking advantage of her to kill people."

"Your skepticism is quite reasonable Yusei; I would think you a naïve fool to blindly trust me." Divine stroked his chin and then snapped his fingers. "Ah, I'm curious; just how did Rex convince you to participate in this tournament of his? You don't strike me as the sort to care about frivolous titles or empty showmanship."

"He employed the carrot and the stick; this was my one chance to face Jack again, and if I did not cooperate…" As Yusei remembered what Rex Godwin had told him, the landscape shifted around them, twisted and broken beyond what even Aki's power had wrought.

"Aha, how fiendishly clever of him." Divine said as he surveyed the ruined landscape. "He would turn you into his scapegoat, throw you out to the furious masses that would tear you apart without hesitation; it is how he handles all his problems, it is how he avoids the very fate he himself fears above all others."

"What do you mean?" Now they were back on the track, back in the moment just before Aki's attack would connect.

"As I said before, you would be a naïve fool to blindly trust me; therefore, I'm going to give you a name and I will trust you to work everything out from there. In the meantime, I will continue my work which you will be able to see for yourself and judge accordingly; once you are satisfied, you may come to the Arcadia Movement HQ at any time and we can begin working together. Does this sound fair to you Yusei?"

The chance to learn an important secret about Rex Godwin, one that could be used to achieve real change… "Wait; you know this secret, why haven't you used it yet?"

"A very good question Yusei; I am not powerful enough to survive revealing that secret, for in his death throes Rex would destroy me as well, and I could never do that to Aki. By joining me, you can tip the balance of power in my favor against Godwin and help ensure a peaceful future for all of us."

Yusei went over Divine's words carefully. "All right, what's the name?"

"Rudger Godwin."

"Godwin?" Rex had family? Could that mean that Zero Reverse…

"Farewell for now Yusei Fudo; I look forward to our next meeting." Divine vanished, and Yusei's perception of time returned to normal; Black Rose Dragon's fiery black breath washed over him as the crimson light from his Dragon Birthmark enveloped him, and then he knew nothing.

* * *

><p>"Are you quite well Divine?" Now Rex Godwin looked at him, now that he was exhausted and drained, vulnerable. "I would have expected you to be more enthused following your Signer's victory."<p>

"Our battle is not yet over Godwin." Indeed, Yusei was a very difficult man to deal with; even after all the damage he'd suffered, even with so much of his power focused on Aki, Divine still needed every last bit of power and skill he possessed just to plant that one name into his mind. At the same time though, if Yusei came to his side of his own free will, then his value as an ally would be increased many times over; all Divine had to do was to make sure that no outside interference took place and everything would fall into place.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: <strong>When I started putting this duel together, I'd figured that I'd get two or three uses out of Stardust Dragon's effect, but Yusei ended up sacrificing and reviving that poor monster practically every turn. The cycles of revenge and sacrifice, that's what this duel and these two decks were all about.


	23. Chapter 23

**The Limits of Vengeance**

* * *

><p>"What a terrible end for Yusei!" The M.C.'s voice echoed throughout the stadium as Jack Atlas stared in disbelief. "Even so, none can question this young man's bravery; he, who faced with his own mortality, charged into the very maw of death itself without fear! Though he may have been from the Satellite, Yusei Fudo's noble virtue and uncompromising conduct in this duel proves that he was a hero the likes of which this city has not seen since the day Rex Godwin saved us all!"<p>

"Yusei!" Jack rode along the sides of the track, the main road utterly ruined in the course of the Black Rose Witch's rampage; the medical team was slowed by this, but he was Jack Atlas, he was the King of Riding Duels, nothing would slow him down. "Yusei!" Jack stopped right next to where Yusei had crashed and leaped off from his D-Wheel to grab Yusei by the collar; He was unconscious but still breathing, his Dragon Birthmark faded but still present, and while his injuries were extensive, somehow none of them seemed more than skin deep. "Yusei." Jack shook; what the hell was even happening anymore? He'd returned the Stardust Dragon to Yusei, that meant he was supposed to win and they were supposed to face one another and end their rivalry…Mikage was supposed to be there, his ever stalwart supporter…Rally was supposed to be alive…being the King was supposed to change everything…

"Oh my!" The M.C.'s voice left no impression on Jack. "Even the King of Riding Duels has been moved by Yusei's powerful duel! Surely, driven by these feelings, Jack Atlas will carry Yusei's feelings and defend his throne against the seemingly unstoppable Black Rose Witch!" The Black Rose Witch; Jack Atlas glared at her as the vine that had carried her across the track withered away, depositing her back on the ground.

"You…" It was her fault; yes, everything was her fault, the witch had derailed and ruined everything. "Witch! Your King decrees that you summon your foul power once more!" Jack thrust his arm out and pointed at the stands. "The people cannot be satisfied by a lackluster duel, so bring out that wretched pit of darkness you call your soul and face me!" That's right, all he had to do was to defeat her, defeat the Witch that had defeated Yusei, and everything would be back on the track that it was supposed to have followed in the first place; in fact, avenging Yusei would be far superior for making him realize that he was wrong to accuse him of being the one to let Rally die; with magnanimous grace he would accept Yusei's appology

"…I cannot." The Black Rose Witch leaned forward as she walked towards the dueling stage, towards the remaining portion of it that she hadn't destroyed in her duels against Mizuko and Ruka. She was breathing hard in a transparent attempt to appear spent, vulnerable; as though he, the King, could be fooled by such a pathetic and ill-conceived trick. She had no conception of the ire she'd brought down upon herself, that he would stand as the people's executioner and see justice exacted upon her. "I am ready Jack Atlas." She now stood upon the stage, her deck shuffled and duel disc armed.

"Very well Black Rose Witch!" Jack ran and leaped onto the stage, crouching low as he landed before standing back up, his coattails flung up by the force of his motion. "The King shall deign to descend to your level, that he may rise above it once more and drag you into the light to receive your judgment!"

"How like the King of Riding Duels! No fear and no mercy, for he knows his absolute power will see him through to victory!" The cheering crowd followed the M.C.'s voice and Jack knew that everything was falling into place, that the proper order of the world was reasserting itself.

"It is not just my power that will see me through, but the trust and faith the people of this city have for me, and I will not let them down!" Jack drew his cards. "Behold! I activate Fusion Road and send Twin Sword Marauder and Power Invader from my hand to the grave to Fusion Summon Twin Murderer!" Jack's monster was a feral, hunched over humanoid figure with unkempt shaggy hair and massive arms, each finger ending in long jagged claws, 2600 attack points. "Now I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 2, Jack: 4000 life points, Aki: 4000 life points." Jack saw the course of the duel in his mind, he had just dictated the next three steps and there was nothing the Black Rose Witch could do about it; he could see the fear in her eyes, the sweat on her brow, she knew that she was outmatched, but her pathetic pride would not let her admit it.

"I activate the field spell card Black Garden" The dueling field became encased in a cage of thorns; what an insipid display no doubt meant to fool people into thinking that she was not afraid. Jack would not fall for it. "I summon Revival Rose in defense position." A red rose grew before Aki, three flowers blooming on its stalk, and within each bloom a crystalline eye."

"And now, because you summoned a monster in defense position, I activate my trap card Defense Penalty and inflict damage to you equal to half your monster's defense power." A skeletal claw shot out from Jack's card and gripped into Aki's side for 650 points of damage while Black Garden's effect applied itself, special summoning a Rose Token to Jack's side of the field. "You now see the King's strength; my monster's power forced you onto the defensive, and my trap punished you for it! Against me you have no choice but to dance at my dictate for the pleasure of the crowd until I have no further use for you!"

The Black Rose Witch stood her ground, but she had nothing to say that could counter Jack's powerful words. "I activate the effect of Ivy Statue in my hand and destroy Revival Rose to special summon it to the field in defense position." Thick gnarled vines reached down and grabbed Revival Rose, tearing it apart before planting themselves firmly in the ground; Black Garden's effect applied once again, special summoning another Rose Token to Jack's side of the field while diminishing Ivy Statue's attack power.

"No doubt you believe that staying on the defensive will protect you from Black Garden's drawback, but this too has been anticipated by the King!" Twin Murder's eyes glowed red, and then a phantom of it appeared behind Ivy Statue. "At the end of my opponent's first main phase, I can force them to switch one monster they control to attack position and attack Twin Murderer during their battle phase!" The phantom entered Ivy Statue and drove it on to the offensive; the real Twin Murderer shredded Ivy Statue with its claws. "Admittedly Twin Murderer only does half battle damage with this effect, but I think the people deserve to see your suffering prolonged." The Twin Murderer phantom escaped from Ivy Statue's remains and impaled its claws into Aki's stomach for 800 points of damage.

"Ivy Statue's effect." The shredded vines wrapped themselves around Twin Murder's arms and legs. "When destroyed and sent to the grave, Ivy Statue destroys one monster my opponent controls and then special summons an Ivy Token in its place." The vines constricted and when Twin Murderer opened its mouth to scream, ivy was all that emerged. Black Garden wrapped its vines around the newly summoned Ivy Token and drained its life for Aki's rose token. "Furthermore, when a level 5 or higher Plant type monster I control is destroyed and sent to the grave, Revival Rose special summons itself from my grave." Revival Rose sprouted once more, and Black Garden summoned a third Rose token to Jack's side of the field. "I now set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 3, Jack: 4000 life points, Aki: 2550 life points."

"I now remove Fusion Road and Twin Murderer in my grave from play to draw two cards; as you can see, even the destruction of my own monster has been anticipated, for when the King duels, all goes according to his will! I activate Cyclone and destroy Black Garden!" In an instant the cage of thorns surrounding both duelists was sliced apart by infinitely sharp winds. "Now I summon Sinister Sprocket and tune all the Tokens you have foolishly given me to it!" Seven stars, one ring. "The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Demon's Dragon!" The cheering of the crowd erupted into a shaking thunder as Jack's dragon took to the field. "Furthermore, when used for the Synchro Summon of a Dark Attribute monster, Sinister Sprocket's effect allows me to destroy one spell or trap card you control." Sinister Sprocket drilled up from beneath the ground and bored a hole right through Aki's face-down card. "But the King is not yet finished, he has yet to show you the full extent of your folly, Black Rose Witch! Now I activate the spell card Synchro Evolution; when I control a Synchro Monster, I skip my battle phase and then destroy monsters on your side of the field whose total attack power does not exceed my Syncho Monster's, inflicting damage equal to the destroyed monsters' attack power."

Red Demon's Dragon swept its claws out, creating blades of air that sliced right through the Black Rose Witch's monsters and then into her. "How incredible! Jack Atlas has decimated Aki's field and has left her with less than 500 life points, all while remaining untouched himself! Never before has the King dueled with such power, he truly is channeling the will of his fallen comrades into his very cards!"

"And the King has not finished issuing his decrees for this duel; I set two cards and end my turn!" The first card was Synchro Deflector, which would foil the Black Rose Witch if she tried to attack with Black Rose Dragon's effect, and the second was Destruction Reprisal; if destroyed by Black Rose Dragon's other effect, it would special summon a monster with 1000 attack points or less from his deck to the field in attack position.

"Turn 4, Jack: 4000 life points, Aki: 450 life points." In short, no matter what course the Black Rose Witch chose, she was doomed.

"Finally, the moment of victory has arrived." The Black Rose Witch said as she drew her card. "Divine, I will fulfill the mission you had set out for me." Her arm shook as she set a card into her spell/trap zone. "I now summon Twilight Rose Knight and activate its effect to special summon Cactus Fighter." A maiden in black armor, and next to it appeared a humanoid cactus with crazed yellow eyes. The Synchro Summon began; Twilight Rose Knight became three rings while Cactus Fighter turned into four stars. "Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!" Aki's monster appeared, and Jack stood his ground firmly, fearing it not at all. "I now activate Black Rose Dragon's effect, and destroy every card on the field."

Gale force winds swept across the field, carrying razor sharp rose petals with them; Jack instinctively raised his arm over his face, but when the petals struck, there was hardly any bite to them. Yes, there was damage, but nothing compared to what the Witch had inflicted before; Jack knew this was only further proof of her weakness. "And now I activate the effect of my destroyed trap card, Destruction Reprisal , special summoning Vice Berserker from my deck in attack position; in your rush to destroy my monster, you've only chosen the form of your defeat! Concede foul witch, there is no hope left for you!"

"Are you done talking yet?" As the Black Rose Witch breathed hard, Jack felt a low rumble through the soles of his boots. "You are no King, you are a mere prattler who fears being exposed; I will realize that fear." The ground before Aki ruptured and collapsed as a gigantic rose bloomed. "When Forgotten Seed is destroyed, I can remove two plant-type monsters in my grave from play to special summon a Vengeful Rose Token with an attack power equal to the sum of the attack power of a monster in my grave and a monster in yours." The Vengeful Rose's roots pulsed as it drew upon the strength of the Red Demon's Dragon and the Black Rose Dragon to achieve a 5400 attack power.

Jack could only gape in horror as Aki's monster focused the full extent of its fury upon his; massive vines tore through it and whipped into him, slamming him into the ground before knocking him away. He rolled across the ground in disgraceful fashion, his clothes becoming torn and dirty; Jack's body ached, most notably his right arm as the Dragon Birthmark , and the thought of moving was unbearable. Jack laid there on his back, staring straight up into the sky as a veil of darkness fell over him, cutting off all sound from the outside world. Then he heard someone walking towards him; the sound had an awkward pace to it, like their shoes were falling apart and the soles hanging on by threads, and there was a wet, squelching quality to it.

"Jack." Despite the pain, Jack shot up onto his feet and looked at the person who'd spoken to him.

"Rally?" He stared at the boy, soaked to the bone with sunken in eyes, his hair thin and limp. "You're alive!" Jack ran towards him, and then through him. He was not there. He just stood there, staring up at Jack. "What is this? Have you come to haunt me in my moment of weakness?" The boy shook his head, shook the water from his hair; the scent was thick and noxious from chemicals. "Then…then you've come with a message from the other side, something important I have to know." Again the boy shook his head, his expression dour and his head hanging low. "Damn it Rally, why are you here then?" Jack reached out as though to grab Rally's shoulders, but stopped. His hands were shaking now. "Rally, please, why?" Jack fell to his knees, he had no strength left in his legs. "Why did you die?" Jack slumped forward; he was barely able to hold himself up as his head drooped down. "I'd worked everything out, I made sure nothing could go wrong, I made sure you understand exactly what was going to happen, so why did everything go wrong?" Jack shook all over, his breath short and choppy as he clenched his eyes shut.

"Jack." He forced himself to look at Rally, watched him fade away; Jack tried to reach out to him and collapsed, falling into a deeper darkness in which he knew nothing at all.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: <strong>Hoo boy, it has been a long time since Jack has dueled, now hasn't it? His dueling style is of course highly aggressive and punishing, wanting to make it so that no matter what the opponent does, it backfires on them. Unfortunately for him, that plays right into Aki's self-destructive approach and thus he is defeated.


	24. Chapter 24

**To New Beginnings**

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><p>Aki Izayoi looked at Jack's body as he was carried by the medical team, their eyes avoiding her; she'd won, she'd defeated Godwin's assassin, she'd bested the other signers, she had dethroned the King himself. The crowd stood silent, all Aki could hear was a low steady buzz in her ears; she'd never drawn on so much of her power before, her skin felt like it was coated in static cling and her throat was dry. Aki stood at the top now, and while she knew that there was yet more to be done, more who needed to be punished for what they'd done to her, for the moment it no longer seemed so urgent.<p>

"…The, the Fortune Cup tournament is now over." The M.C.'s voice shook and reverberated in her ears. She dropped her head down. "Aki Izayoi, the Black Rose Witch, has become the new champion, the, the Queen of Riding Duels." Yes, her duel against Yusei; he'd drawn out so much of her hate, so much of her fury that she had to face him in a riding duel just to let it all out. "Now then, if the new champion would like to sh-share a few words…" What words could she possibly share with them? If all that she had said and done up to this point hadn't reached them, what more could she say?

"Aki." She lifted her head up and saw Divine walking towards her. "You've won, you've earned your rest." He took off his coat and put it on her; she breathed in deep, taking that scent into herself, its strength into herself. "I'll take care of the rest."

"Thank you, Divine." Aki leaned into him and closed her eyes, she let his voice wash over her as he spoke.

"People of Neo Domino City, look upon this young woman and know that despite your efforts to tear her down, she has proven stronger than you could have imagined and now stands as your champion. Think on this." Divine then looked up at the box where Rex Godwin had watched everything and smiled. With that, Divine escorted Aki off the stage as the crowd stared at them in silence; they feared her, it was a fear that coursed through their souls, they understood now that no one was safe against her, that none could stand against her and live. In time there would be those who would recognize that her power was proof of her right as champion and so they would join with Divine; those who did not, she would destroy, for such people were not worthy of seeing Divine's vision come to fruition.

"Aki!" She looked down the hall and saw Akira rushing towards them. "Are you okay? Lord Divine, she's okay, right?" He was so frantic, unable to stand still.

"She is tired, but otherwise unharmed." Divine smiled down at her as Akira sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness." Akira then stood at attention and looked Aki in the eye. "I, I fainted during your duel with Yusei and I only woke up a minute ago. I know how pathetic that makes me, but I won't mope about it, I'm going to keep working on becoming stronger so that I won't let you down." He bowed down to her.

"Show me." Aki said as she stepped forward; Akira followed her lead. They emerged outside, the path to the limo flanked by numerous members of the Arcadia Movement, and at the end of that path stood Shino and Hayate.

"You did good Aki." Shino said as she stuck out her hand. "When we get back, we're holding a celebration, doesn't matter how you feel about that."

Aki did not reach out to Shino's hand. "I suppose that you'll go through with this even against Divine's wishes?"

"We would," Hayate said as he casually stretched his arms up and cracked his knuckles, "but since this was all Divine's idea, we don't have to."

Aki stared up into Divine's eyes. "As I said before Aki, I'm taking care of the rest; all you have to do is relax and lay back upon your laurels."

"Very well." Aki took quick hold of Shino's hand and then entered the limo.

* * *

><p>"Ruka?" Ruka heard her brother's voice over the low buzz in her ears as she opened her eyes, her eyelids stinging as she did. She lifted her head and felt the muscles in her shoulders and neck ache as Rua came into sight; he was seated on a chair right next to her, to the medical bed that she was lying on, and tears were welling up in his eyes again. "Ruka…" His lip quivered, and then he took a deep breath. "Yusei, he said we both did our best, so there's nothing for us to be ashamed about."<p>

"Yusei!" Ruka gasped, the rough sensation in her throat nothing compared to the memory of Yusei taking Black Rose Dragon's attack for her. She turned her head and saw Yusei lying on a bed next to hers, still unconscious; his chest rose and fell with every breath, and while he was mostly covered, she could see burns and scorch marks that hadn't been there before. Ancient Fairy Dragon appeared and glared silently, its wings spread out; Ruka saw visions of Yusei's duel with Aki in this wings, how he kept taking damage over and over again, how he kept sacrificing Stardust Dragon over and over, all because she hadn't…

"I tried to tell you." Ruka gasped when she saw Daichi standing at the foot of her bed; when had he gotten there? "You're nothing special; that mark on your arm may as well be a temporary tattoo that you haven't bothered to wash off yet." Ruka looked down at her arm, saw that the Dragon Birthmark hadn't faded like normal.

"No, I…" Ruka's eyes were pounding, like someone was taking a hammer to them from inside her head.

"Ruka!" Something shook her, dispelling Ancient Fairy Dragon and banishing Daichi as a terrible pain shot up and down her arm; Ruka realized that Rua had wrapped his arms around hers. "Ruka," He was holding onto her arm so tight, he was cutting off the circulation to her hand, "Believe me, you really did the best you could have, not even Jack was able to beat Aki."

"Jack?" Rua nodded and looked past Yusei; Ruka turned her head and there was Jack, lying on a medical bed just like Yusei. Ruka also noticed a woman seated across from him; she had short blue hair and blue earrings that dangled from her ear lobes, and she wore a grey coat over a white suit. She was looking down at Jack with a mixture of emotions that Ruka couldn't read. "Rua," Ruka whispered to her brother, "who is that?"

"I think that's Mikage, Jack's assistant, or at least she was." Right, Jack had lost his title and everything that came with it. "She came in here just after Jack did and she hasn't said a word the whole time she's been here."

"Really?" Ruka cracked a smile and ignored the pinching sensation in her cheeks. "That kind of sounds like someone I know." Rua smiled and then noticed that he was still holding onto her arm. He let go of her with a sheepish laugh. "Rua, you said something about 'this whole time'; how long was I out?"

"It's been over two hours I think; Aki left with that Divine guy a long time ago and I'm pretty sure the crowd's gone home by now." Two hours, Ruka thought to herself; if Yusei hadn't been there to protect her, how much longer would it have been before she'd woken up? Would she have woken up at all? No, she couldn't think like that, not while Rua was right there, not while he was looking right at her with those eyes of his. She looked around again, and noticed someone's absence.

"Where's Mukuro?" There were only three beds in the room they were in, no room at all for anyone

"Mukuro? Oh, Yusei's friend; I think he's in the next room over. I could check for you, but…" Ruka looked where Rua indicated and saw the Security Officers blocking the exit; she hadn't noticed them when she'd first woken up, everything was coming in in bits and pieces and it didn't help that the buzz in her ears had turned into a steady drumming sensation.

"God damn it." Rua gasped as Jack awoke with a start, sitting up quickly; for a moment Ruka saw the Red Demon's Dragon hovering over him, its head drooping low. "What the hell…Mikage?" He gaped as he looked at her, and Ruka wished she could leave them be, this was not something she or her brother were meant to listen in on. "I haven't taken back my order."

"You're not the King anymore Jack." Mikage's voice sounded strained.

"That's right, I'm not." He grimaced. "So why are you here then? Are you in a sentimental mood and want to say goodbye to my face?"

"My hope was that after you'd won the tournament, after you'd defeated Yusei…" Mikage sighed deeply as she looked at Yusei's still unconscious body. "Now I don't know; I'd never imagined that the Black Rose Witch would be here"

"So you never believed I could beat her." Jack's voice was flat. "You weren't wrong to either; a false King like me, who's lied and killed just like the witch, I had no hope for victory."

"What?" Rua squeaked out, his irises shrunk into dots. "What are you talking about Jack?" He and Mikage both looked at them as though noticing their presence for the first time. "You're the King, the greatest duelist in the whole world; what do you mean you were a fake?"

"You…" Jack looked in confusion at Rua, and then he looked at Ruka; she could feel his glare pressing down on her, it made her want to shrink in on herself. "You're Ruka, aren't you?" She nodded. He then shifted his attention back to her brother. "Then I suppose you're her twin brother…"

"Rua." Mikage said in a professional tone. "He's the one who keeps sending you all those letters and emails asking for dueling advice." Ruka blinked; she'd told Rua he was probably bothering Jack with all the questions he kept asking, but she didn't think that they'd actually noticed.

"Ah yes, my biggest fan; sorry kid, but you caught a glimpse of reality today." Jack rubbed his forehead with his fingertips, and then paused. "That's right." He looked down at Yusei. "You two know him; how?" Ruka was unable to find her voice and even Rua was shaken by everything, so she was thankful that Mikage answered for them.

"They found him after he escaped from the Detention Center, and after Yusei was brought to Mr. Godwin, he requested that he stay with Rua and Ruka as opposed to a private apartment."

"Of course he did, it all fits together now…"

"Wh-what does, Mr. Atlas?" Ruka could see the fear in her brother's eyes; she'd lost a duel, Jack was no longer King, and Aki had killed after helping him when he needed it. Now Jack was going to say something about Yusei…

"It doesn't matter why Yusei stayed with us." Ruka forced herself to say despite how tight her throat was. She gripped her sheets as though she were gripping her will so it couldn't slip away. "He was there for me and Rua when there was no one else, that's all that matters."

Jack looked at Ruka once again, and once again she wished she could shrink away until she was all gone. "You're right; Yusei's past doesn't concern you. This is a matter between me and him, no one else." Jack sighed and Ruka was thankful that he was looking away from her again.

A long time passed, the four of them sat where they did and said nothing. Then they heard Yusei groan and watched as he got up. He opened his eyes and looked around; he looked at Jack and Mikage, mostly at Jack though, and there were so many emotions there Ruka couldn't count them all, much less name them. Then he looked at her and Rua, and the way the tension left his face, lines disappeared and eyes softened, it made Ruka's heart ache. "Yusei…"

"It's okay Ruka, everything's okay." He said as he reached out towards her and patted her on the head. Then Rua ran over and pressed himself into Yusei, causing him to wince in pain. "Sorry I scared you like that Rua; did you do what I asked?" Rua nodded and let go of Yusei to rejoin her. "Good; as soon as we're ready, we're going back to the apartment."

"And it would seem that you will all be ready to leave shortly." Ruka looked up and saw Rex Godwin walking into the room; he was tall with broad shoulders and he exuded imperial might until it pervaded the entire room. His smile cast a shadow all its own. "My medical staff has assured me that your stamina and recovery time is nothing short of a miracle given the injuries you'd all suffered; it would seem that being a Signer does have its benefits, which will work out well for us all."

"What do you want Godwin?" Jack said in a low voice. "I'm not your puppet King anymore."

"A mild inconvenience, nothing more; your position as King of Riding Duels was the means to an end and that end was fulfilled today."

"What are you talking about? The Black Rose Witch slaughtered us out there and now people are going to start joining up with that freak Divine."

Rex Godwin continued to smile. "Yusei, would you like to explain the situation to your friend?"

"What?" Jack turned on Yusei. "What the hell do you know Yusei? What bargain did you make with Godwin?"

Ruka felt her arms and legs get all noodle-like and limp, she couldn't move at all. Yusei stood his ground though. "I agreed to participate in this tournament to face you Jack; Godwin said that if we dueled, if our dragons clashed, than the whereabouts of the Fifth Dragon would be revealed."

"And all of your duels with the Black Rose Witch were more than sufficient to achieve that end." Rex Godwin pulled out a Holo-Pad and turned it on, projecting an outline of the whole city, with thin green lines running throughout it. "This is the normal state of the Momentum Energy Grid." He pressed a button, and the lines became brighter and thicker. "This is from when Ruka dueled the Witch." He pressed the button again, "And this," there were four bright lights in the stadium overlapping one another, and one more out in the city, spread out and covering several blocks, "is from Yusei's duel against the Witch." He pushed the button again; the light outside the stadium condensed down small enough that it enveloped only a single building. "Jack, your duel with the Witch narrowed the search considerably, and for that the city thanks you."

"That building, that's the Arcadia Movement Headquarters." Mikage said as Rex Godwin grinned in triumph.

"I'd suspected that this would prove to be the case, and in addition to confirming that, I now know that the Fifth Signer has not yet awakened."

"He would have brought the Fifth Signer to the tournament along with Aki." Yusei said, and Ruka noticed the pointed way he'd said Aki's name, the way he glared at Rex Godwin with his back unbent.

"You are as astute as ever Yusei." Rex shut off the Holo-Pad. "It will take time for the support forces to be gathered and the assault to be planned, but rest assured, Divine's position is not nearly so advantageous or secure as he believes it to be." He then turned to Mikage. "If you would take care of the arrangements for their transportation to the Tops District; it has been a long day and they will need their rest."

"Yes sir, Mr. Godwin." Mikage bowed to him as he left. "Jack." She stood back up and faced him. She took a deep breath, paused.

"Just go and make the calls."

* * *

><p>Throughout the drive to the Tops District, Jack Atlas remained silent, his mind occupied in memories freshly renewed; the smell of water not fit for rats, the grit between the folds of his fingers underneath his gloves, and the screams of a man promising vengeance against all who'd betrayed him. Upon arrival at the Jacob Tower, he looked up and saw the looming Security Head Quarters, its searchlights illuminating the path that the Security Officers rode upon when they took Kiryu's mangled, unconscious body away. When they entered the Twins' apartment, the introspection was broken for only a moment. "Mr. Jack, after dinner, do you think that maybe we could duel?"<p>

"Not tonight Rua." Yusei had responded, and the boy's response showed just how out of character this was for his experience of Yusei. It brought Jack back into his inner world, back to his memories where Kiryu still lived, still led them both. He found himself back in the moment when he'd decided to follow Kiryu, when he knew that Kiryu would be the one to lead the Satellite out of hell.

….

"Is that really all the fight you've got in you?" The blue haired teen called out to the thugs edging away from him. "So much for the Hell Barons; once you caught a glimpse of the real deal, your true colors showed themselves quick enough." His voice carried across the street, driving the thugs further back.

"Oh yeah?" The lead thug said as his eyes twitched, and Jack looked in that direction; a man with a board and nail was creeping around the corner. "You think you're hot shit you little prick, but you better sleep with both eyes open if you don't want to wake up with a knife in your gut."

Jack rushed across the street and jammed his elbow into the sneaking thug's gut, causing him to fall to his knees and drop his weapon. The teen and the thugs all stared at him. "You outnumber this guy that badly and you still need to resort to bullshit like this? You must be new around here; the Satellite's going to destroy you."

"Gha…let's, let's find some other spot guys, this one's full of assholes." The thugs crawled away with their tails dragging along the ground, and so Jack was able to approach their target.

"I could've taken that last guy out, but I don't mind you helping out anyway." The teen turned around and flashed a fierce grin. "Name's Kiryu Kyosuke."

"Jack Atlas." The two shook hands. "Any idea why those bastards had it in for you?"

"Because I've been chasing after them, driving them away from anyone they could prey on, and they got sick of me interfering with them."

"You've been going after them?" Jack raised an eyebrow. "I guess they must have messed with you pretty bad."

"Nah, not me; saw them screwing around with people who couldn't protect themselves and got sick of Security not doing a damn thing about it."

"And so you decided to take care of it yourself." Jack grinned. "I like it."

"I'm glad you feel that way." Kiryu stuck his fist out and Jack bumped it with his own. "I don't get much support from the people I'm protecting, they're all too scared."

"Yeah? Well I'm not, and there's a guy I know who'll definitely be on board with what you're doing."

"That so? Hot damn, I had a feeling today was going to be different." Kiryu stretched and cracked his knuckles. "With three of us, we can make a real difference, change the Satellite into something better, a place where everyone can be satisfied with their lives." Kiryu limbered back down. "How does Team Satisfaction sound to you?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "I've heard worse; Hell Barons anyone?"

Jack and Kiryu laughed and walked away together, planning out every perfect step for their new lives as vigilantes and heroes.

….

Now it was nighttime and Jack stood out on the balcony; the moon was reflected by the pool, a waxing disc nearing full completion. He heard Yusei close the door behind him; he'd just put Rua and Ruka to bed, and Mikage was using the guest room. "Yusei." Jack said, facing away from Yusei; what could he say? After everything that had happened, after all that he'd done, what could Jack say?

"Jack, in the morning I'm going back to the Satellite."

"What?" Jack turned around. "Do you really think that Godwin will let you run away back there?"

Yusei shook his head. "I'm not planning on staying; there're certain things I need to ask Martha." Yusei paused. "Jack, you've been here in the city for two years; have you ever heard the name 'Rudger'?"

"Rudger?" Jack tried to think, tried to come up with something. He shook his head. "Who's this Rudger supposed to be?"

"I'm not certain; he might be important, he might be no one."

"That doesn't tell me anything Yusei." Before Yusei could respond, Jack stuck out his hand. "And it doesn't matter; until I go back to the Satellite and settle things there, I don't deserve to know." Jack saw it, the pier where Rally had drowned, he saw himself standing there, but what came after, he could not see.


	25. Chapter 25

**Surpass the Guardian of the Gate**

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><p>"Yua, Tsubasa, please take a seat." Divine said with a suppressed yawn; the celebration following Aki's victory had gone long into the night, past when Aki herself had gone to her well-earned rest. He of course had to remain awake, he had to keep his eye on the rest of his Psychic Duelists as emotions ran high and passions flared; at one point Hayate and Shino irritated each other enough to start a duel right then and there, which would have been dangerous for the less experienced and less powerful members of the Arcadia Movement caught in the crossfire. And poor Akira, he couldn't go five minutes without someone teasing him. Back in the present moment though, Yua adjusted her glasses while her twin brother Tsubasa ran his fingers across the arms of his chair. "I want to go over some footage from the Fortune Cup tournament and tell me what you two think of it." Divine activated the holographic display on his desk, presenting the two with a life-like replay of Ruka's duel against Daichi from the Fortune Cup tournament; while Yua and Tsubasa watched the footage, Divine watched them. He saw Tsubasa clutch his fingers around the armrest as Daichi taunted Ruka, said that she was no one special.<p>

"Asshole." Yua touched his shoulder and his fingers loosened their grip. "There was a guy I knew, a real piece of work, an elitist prick. He said the same shit to me, just to try and keep me away from his sister."

"I see." Indeed, Divine saw Tsubasa's surface thoughts, saw the brother and sister he mentioned; the brother was a tall, weedy fellow in an expensive suit with a sharp, cutting gaze while the sister was plain in face and build yet her soft, curious eyes drew even him in for a moment. "Please, keep watching." The duel continued on, and when Rua cried out for Daichi to "shut up", Yua smiled a small and crooked smile. "Did that remind you of something Tsubasa did for you?"

Yua shook her head. "I can understand why you would think that Lord Divine, but truthfully I was reminded of myself." Yes she was; Divine caught glimpses of her in the same household that Tsubasa occupied, her work confining her to a small office and thus made it difficult for her to avoid or escape when the weedy man approached her. Then Divine felt his ears ring and his jaw almost break apart, the memory of her punching the man incredibly visceral. "It certainly worked out better for the boy." Yua said just after Ruka finished off Daichi.

"That is true." Visions of the Detention Center flowed through Divine's mind along with the sounds of the kangaroo court that sent Tsubasa and Yua there. "Now, before you watch the next duel, I must ask that you keep your thoughts to yourself until it comes to an end." They nodded and Divine played the footage for them; he watched the color drain from their faces with each of Aki's attacks, heard the pitch of their breath rise every time Ruka refused to give up, and just before Yusei appeared to defend Ruka against Aki's final attack, Tsubasa grabbed onto Yua's arm. Once all was said and done, Divine turned off the recording.

"I…when Aki dueled against the warden, I…" Divine held his hand up to silence Tsubasa.

"Don't rush; give yourself time to compose yourself and guide your thoughts accordingly." Tsubasa did as told, though it was Yua who gave her thoughts first.

"I wondered why you would show us a duel like that after engineering our sympathies for Rua and Ruka in the earlier duel; it's because you wanted us to notice Yusei's devotion to Ruka, didn't you?" Her tone, enforced to be so by her own will.

"Not just his devotion, but Rua's as well." The memories of the boy trying desperately to reach his sister, begging Aki to relent stuck with all of them. "While I have every intention of having Yusei and Ruka join with us willingly, I am prepared to use other methods, methods that I will be entrusting you two to carry out should they become necessary."

Tsubasa stood up. "You can count on us Lord Divine." Though his posture projected strength, there was a shadow of doubt and fear behind his eyes, which was good; the reality of Aki's power and what she would do with it at his behest had been fully impressed upon Tsubasa.

"I know I can." Divine heard a knock at the door. He stood up, Yua did the same. "Come in Hayate." The heavily muscled man opened the door and walked in.

"This is the time you wanted to see me, isn't it Lord Divine?" He looked at Yua and Tsubasa.

"As it so happens it is." Divine focused on his first two guests. "I would recommend you visit the training room to prepare yourselves should I need to call upon you."

"Yes Lord Divine." Yua said. She and her brother bowed to him and departed from his office, closing the door behind them.

"Please take a seat Hayate; I have an unpleasant task for you, one that unfortunately can't be avoided." Hayate did as told, braced himself for the mission he was about to receive.

* * *

><p>"What?" Rua cried out as he slammed his hands on the table, shaking his breakfast plate and silverware. "Yusei, Jack, why would you want to go back to the Satellite?" Yusei and Jack sat across from him and Ruka while Mikage stood by the counter sipping her coffee; she didn't look surprised, had she already known about this?<p>

"Rua," Yusei said, "there are things that Jack and I need to take care of back home before we can do anything else." Home; right, that was where Yusei grew up, so he was always going to think of that place as his home. All the time he'd spent with them in their apartment wasn't ever going to change that. "You don't need to worry though; I won't let anything happen to you or Ruka while we're there." Eh? Rua blinked, rubbed his eyes, and looked to his sister; she had rings under her eyes and her hair was all droopy, but she'd heard the same thing he had.

"What the hell are you thinking Yusei?" Rua looked back up and saw Jack with his hand on Yusei's collar. "You can't take them to the Satellite; it's too dangerous for them there."

"It's too dangerous for them to stay here Jack." Huh? What was Yusei talking about? They lived at the top of the Jacob Tower in the Tops district, the safest place in the whole city; what could possibly happen to them there?

"I must disagree, Mr. Fudo." Rua recognized Mr. Jaeger's voice right away, though he was still surprised by his sudden appearance just like everyone else. "I for one have no intention of allowing any harm to befall the twins and I'm far better equipped to make good on that promise than you." Mr. Jaeger walked up to them, his mouth closed as he smiled, but before he could reach them, Yusei interposed himself between them.

"What do you want with them?" Yusei's voice was like the blade of one of the kitchen knives all sharp and cold.

"Given that you are only able to stay here due to Director Godwin's generosity, you are not in a position to interfere with my work Mr. Fudo."

Yusei did not move; Rua wondered if this was how Yusei's back looked to Ruka when he defended her from Aki? "You have no right to keep them locked away up here." Locked away…that sounded like the stuff Aki said to Ruka during their duel; Rua hadn't known what to make of it at the time, but if both Yusei and Aki were saying it...

"I don't have that right?" Mr. Jaeger crossed his arms. "Mr. Fudo, you have not familiarized with Neo Domino City's laws regarding the rights and powers legal guardians possess over their wards, have you?"

"What?" The tension in Yusei's back spiked as he looked over to Jack.

Jack looked really confused about the whole thing. "Mikage…"

"Just a moment Jack." She took out her datapad and after a moment she had Mr. Jaeger's official work profile. "Family Status: Married with one son and legal guardian for Rua and Ruka." Ms. Mikage stared in disbelief at Jaeger, as did all of them.

"Now that you understand my position, Mr. Fudo, I should also inform you that Neo Domino City does not look kindly upon custodial interference."

Yusei didn't budge. "Where have you been? Rua and Ruka have been living alone for as long as they can remember." Rua couldn't believe the contempt in Yusei's voice and the way he was clenching his shaking fists; he'd always been so calm and composed and, and unflappable before, even when he was dueling Aki. "What happened to their parents?" Was Yusei right? Did Mr…did Jaeger know what happened to their parents?

"In regards to the first matter, I've been busy attending to a great many responsibilities, including being with my family." Jaeger brought out a picture of him with his arms around his wife and son, who looked to be about 6 or 7 or so, and they all had really big toothy smiles on their faces. "Despite this, I have gone out of my way to make sure that Rua and Ruka have lived in safety and comfort, and have even checked up on them every so often." Jaeger put away the picture of his family. "As regards their parents, Neo Domino City's strict closed adoption laws prohibit me from speaking on the matter, and while I'm sure you are more than accustomed to breaking the law when it suits you, I-!"

"You're a sack of shit, that's what you are!" Rua jumped off from his seat and tackled Jaeger, pushing him onto the ground. "You show up every time Ruka's been in a duel and ask me everything you can about what I saw and you've been hiding the truth from us this whole time! Aki was right, you had us locked up here so you could use Ruka; I bet you even killed our parents, didn't you?" Rua felt his collar pulled tight against his throat, and then realized that Yusei had lifted him up off of Jaeger. "Let go of me Yusei, he called you a criminal!" All those times someone managed to make it to their apartment, all those times when he couldn't stop them from dueling Ruka and making Ruka fall unconscious after she was taken over by her dragon spirit or whatever, it was all Jaeger's fault! "Come on Ruka, help me out here!"

"Rua." He felt his energy vanish when he heard his sister's voice, so small and strained. He looked at her and could have sworn she was shrinking in on herself. "Please just…let Mr. Jaeger ask his questions." Jaeger stood up and adjusted his coat.

Rua shook his head as Yusei let him go. "Ruka, I know you're scared." He clenched his fist as the fear he'd felt when she dueled Aki came back to him. "I'm scared too, so if even I can beat it, then so can you." Rua turned around to face Jaeger, his posture as firm and grounded as he could manage. "Jaeger, I challenge you to a duel, and if I win, you have to tell me the truth about what happened to our parents."

"Is that all? Are you sure you wouldn't like permission to be able to leave for the Satellite with Yusei, Jack, and Mikage as well?" Huh? Oh, right, there was no way a total bastard like Jaeger would let him and Ruka escape his grasp. "Tell you what; if you win this duel, you can learn the truth about your parents and go to the Satellite."

"Huh?" Rua knew he was missing something, but what? Why didn't Jaeger ask for something if he won? Eh, whatever! "You got it you clown." He wasn't going to lose, so what difference would it make anyway? Rua made his way to his room to pick up his Duel Disc when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. He looked up, figuring that it was Yusei and gaped when instead it was Jack.

"Rua, I'm not going to tell you to stop, but I can tell you from personal experience that Jaeger had this all planned out; you might think he looks like a clown but he's Godwin's vice director for a reason." Jack looked away from him; Rua guessed it had to do with the stuff he was saying back in the medical room at the stadium.

"Thank you Jack, but he's been underestimating me for a long time too, and there's no way he's more determined to win than me." Rua retrieved his duel disc and returned to the living room where Jaeger had produced his own duel disc. "Let's take this outside, I don't want to hold back to keep from wrecking my apartment."

"A sentiment I can agree with; repairing damages would come out of my budget." Rua and Jaeger stepped out onto the balcony with Ruka and the others following shortly behind them. "As you are the challenging party," Jaeger armed his duel disc, "you may take the first turn."

"And that was your first mistake," Rua said as he drew his cards. "I summon Deformer Chakken in defense position." A massive lighter appeared in the air before Rua. "When in defense position, I can activate Chakken's effect once per turn to inflict 300 points of damage to my opponent." The lighter opened up and flicked itself, firing off a small jet of fire at Jaeger. "See, I already took the lead before you could do anything, and now I'm going to set a card to end my turn."

"Turn 2, Rua: 4000 life points, Jaeger: 3700 life points."

"This is indeed off to a dismal start, but who knows; perhaps you will acquit yourself on your next turn." Acquit…what the heck did that even mean? "I will start my turn by activating the permanent spell card Worm Call." The sunlight beating down on them was suddenly refracted, and when Rua looked up he saw a weird oozy lens thing in the sky. "Once per turn, when my opponent controls a monster and I do not, I can special summon a Reptile-type Worm monster from my hand in face-down defense position." The ooze hovering overhead stretched down like a dangling piece of taffy or something, and when it touched the ground in front of Jaeger, a face-down monster appeared. "Now I shall use my normal summon to set another monster onto the field and end my turn."

"Turn 3, Rua: 4000 life points, Jaeger: 3700 life points."

"That's it? You're not going to attack or anything like that?" Rua's lips turned up into a grin. "Hee hee, looks like you fell for my bluff and now you're going to pay for it; first, I activate Chakken's effect again to inflict another 300 points of damage." Another jet of fire was shot at Jaeger, singing his hair. "Next, I switch Chakken to attack position and activate my face-down card Gadget Box." Deformer Chakken folded out into a humanoid form while a large toy box appeared overhead. "Once per turn, Gadget Box lets me special summon a Gadget Token, which I can't use for a sacrifice summon and once I've summoned my third token Gadget Box destroys itself. Let's go Gadget Box!" Rua called out as a tiny toy robot leaped out of the box and landed next to Deformer Chakken. "Once per turn, when Deformer Chakken's in attack position, I can sacrifice a monster I control to inflict 600 points of damage to my opponent. Go Chakken!" Rua pumped his fist into the air as Deformer Chakkenn grabbed hold of the Gadget Token and sprayed it with its fire before tossing it at Jaeger. "Hah, that's 1200 damage and I haven't even attacked you yet; I bet you're regretting this duel already, aren't you?"

"If you keep up that pathetic performance I will." Jaeger yawned in a really exaggerated way before smirking at him.

"Oh yeah? Well how about this; I summon Deformer Videon and equip it with Deformer Speedy Engine." A digital video camera appeared and quickly unfolded into humanoid form. Then an engine with a pair of rockets on top of it appeared and snapped onto Videon's back. "When Deformer Videon's in attack position, it gains 800 attack points for every equip card on it, and Deformer Speedy Engine lets it attack twice in the same battle phase. And that's not all! I equip Deformer Chakken with Deformer Power Unit to double its original attack power to 2400 attack points, what do you think of that?"

"Given that Deformer Power Unit will destroy itself during your second standby phase and inflict damage equal to Chakken's original attack power to you, I continue to be disappointed in your performance. I would have thought that you'd learned something from your sister, but it truly seems that all the talent and worth lies with her."

"Deformer Videon, attack the monster he normal summoned!" Rua wasn't scared; if Jaeger couldn't even bring himself to summon his monsters face-up, then they had to be super-weaklings with nothing going for them! Videon fired a concentrated beam of light at Jaeger's card as it flipped face up, revealing some yellow covered in layers of nasty dark brown sludge and slime.

"Worm Jetelikpse's Filp Effect; when this card is destroyed and sent to the grave during this turn, I special summon it back to the field in defense position." Videon's attack blasted Jetelikpse into gooey chunks, but they reassembled themselves back together with a schlop-schloop sort of sound.

"Don't forget, Videon's got another attack!" Videon dashed around the battlefield and fired another shot into Jetlikpse, blowing it apart even worse than before, but it still fixed itself back together all the same.

"I repeat; if Jetlikpse is destroyed and sent to the grave during this turn, it is special summoned back to the field in defense position. Did you truly forget about that, or were you just trying to show off your combo and didn't care that it wouldn't work?"

Rua felt his head heat up. "Deformer Chakken, attack his other monster!" Yeah, he had a 2400 attack power monster, this was bound to work! Jaeger's card flipped over, revealing a really really ugly blue and white thing with these black patches with eyes sticking off its back; Deformer Chakken rushed forward with a fire-lined fist…and Jaeger's monster blocked it!

"Worm Noble possesses 2400 defense points, meaning that my monster is not destroyed and you take no battle damage. However…" Rua suddenly found himself surrounded by shadows with glowing eyes peering out at him. "When Worm Noble is flipped face-up by a monster's attack, I inflict damage equal to half that monster's attack power." Rua braced himself as the shadows contracted around him, making him feel like they were pressing down on him. By the time they were gone, he was lying flat on his stomach and down 1200 life points. "This is why you are such a disappointment Rua, you never learn; if Ruka hadn't made such a fuss about you, I would never have bothered about dragging you along with her."

"What?" Rua stood back up. "You're making that up; I don't remember anything like that."

"You and Ruka were all of three at the time, of course you wouldn't remember. But you knew that, that's why you challenged me, so why the overreaction? I would have thought you'd have become accustomed to your weakness by now."

"Just shut up and take your turn!"

"Turn 4, Rua: 2800 life points, Jaeger: 2800 life points."

"If you insist; I activate Worm Burrowing, sacrificing my Worm Jetelikpse to add another Reptile-type Worm monster from my deck to my hand, which I then set on the field. Following that, I activate Book of Taiyou to flip my monster face-up, Worm Millidith." When the card flipped over, a great big blue spider thing with a…leaky eye or something, appeared. "In accordance with its Flip Effect, I now equip Millidith to a monster you control." As Millidith walked over, it shrunk down until it was only just a bit bigger than Deformer Chakken, which was when it wrapped itself around Rua's monster. "So long as it is so equipped, you will take 400 points of damage during each of our standby phases. So that will be it for me."

"Turn 5, Rua: 2800 life points, Jaeger: 2800 life points."

Just after Rua drew his card, Worm Millidith brought its eye over Rua and leaked its burning liquid all over him, forcing him to put his arms over his head as he took 400 points of damage. "I activate Gadget Box's effect to special summon my second Gadget Token and I sacrifice it with Chakken's effect to inflict 600 damage, and then I switch Chakken to defense to inflict another 300 damage to you." Chakken launched both volleys of fire in rapid succession, but Jaeger stood impassive to it all. "And now I summon Magnen U in defense position to end my turn." A large magnet appeared and lodged itself into the ground, its effect to make sure that Jaeger couldn't mess with any of his other monsters.

"Turn 6: Rua: 2400 life points, Jaeger: 1900 life points."

Worm Millidith applied its effect once more, showering Rua with more acid. "Do I even need to do anything at this point? You've practically defeated yourself through your own incompetence." Jaeger sighed. "A little patience would have made all the difference; had you not attempted to attack my monsters, you would not have triggered their effects and you would be secure in your lead. As is, between Millidith and your own Deformer Power Unit, you will be defeated on my next standby phase and I will not have even declared a single attack. Tell me, can you imagine a more humiliating defeat for a duelist than that?"

"Shut up." Rua gritted his teeth. "I'm doing my best and I'm not going to give up, you got that? If I didn't try everything I could to win, if I let myself think that it wasn't even worth trying, I wouldn't be any kind of duelist at all, just like you."

"Is that so?" Jaeger set a card in his spell/trap zone. "Very well then Rua, perhaps there will be some merit to this duel after all. I end my turn."

"Turn 7, Rua: 2000 life points, Jaeger: 1900 life points."

Worm Millidith applied its effect yet again, spraying Rua with even more acid; at the same time the Deformer Power Unit that had been equipped to Deformer Chakken detached and landed right next to Rua before exploding. Together they brought him down to a mere 400 life points; if he didn't do something about Millidith, he was going to lose. He looked down at the card he'd just drawn, and smiled. "First, I activate Chakken's defense mode effect." A small stream of fire as Rua inflicted another 300 damage to Jaeger. "Then I activate Gadget Box one last time to bring out a Gadget Token, and then I summon Deformer Remoten, one of my tuner monsters." Deformer Remoten hovered over Chakken and the Gadget Token. "I tune Chakken and Gadget Token to Deformer Remoten." Three rings, four stars, and no more Worm Millidith. ""Docking strength with courage to protect the world's peace! Synchro Summon! Envoy of love and justice, Power Tool Dragon!"

Rua's Synchro Monster roared as it appeared on the field, and he knew that even if he wasn't showing it, Jaeger had to be shaking in his boots. "Now I activate Power Tool Dragon's effect to take three equip spell cards from my deck, and you randomly pick which one gets added to my hand." He hoped Jaeger went for the one in the middle; he'd just picked it up and if it did like it was supposed to…

"The middle one." Yes!

"Big mistake Jaeger, 'cause now I'm going to equip Power Tool Dragon with Hyper Drill!" Power Tool Dragon brought its arms together as a gigantic drill latched on over them. "Hyper Drill lets Power Tool Dragon penetrate defense, and for every level four or lower machine type monster I sacrifice, I can add that monster's original attack power to Power Tool Dragon's until the end phase; come on Videon, Magnen U, show this jerk what you can really do!" Videon and Magnen U plugged themselves into Hyper Drill and filled it with every last bit of their power until they crumbled away; now Power Tool Dragon had 4100 attack points while Worm Noble had only 2400 defense points, so if the attack went through, he'd inflict 1700 points of damage, more than enough to win! "Power Tool Dragon-!"

"Hold on a moment Rua." Jaeger called out. "I activate Book of Moon, flipping my Worm Noble back into face-down defense position." Huh? Why'd he do that? He could have used it on his monster to stop the attack all together. "I would like to amend the terms of this duel; if it ends in a tie, you may either learn about your parents or leave with Yusei on his little field trip to the Satellite. So how about it Rua; will you attack now and walk away with something, or wait for the chance for victory and risk losing everything?"

Crap, so that's why he did it that way, he wanted to put everything on him, force him to make this kind of a choice in front of everyone, in front of Ruka. He looked to everyone; Jack and Mikage were standing together while Ruka was standing with Yusei, her hand wrapped tight around his. In that moment he knew what he had to do. "Power Tool Dragon, attack his face down Worm Noble." Power Tool Dragon spiraled through the air and bored a hole through the newly re-revealed Worm Noble, and as it slammed into Jaeger, Worm Noble's shadows swarmed over Rua. By the time it was over, they were both at zero life points. "All right, now you got to let us go to the Satellite, you got it."

"Of course Rua." Jaeger said with a bow. "I'm glad to see that you've become of some use after all, and I will even make sure you all have a security detail to keep you safe."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: <strong>I opted for a Worm deck for Jaeger because they, like him, tend to keep themselves hidden and if you try anything against them, they react with dangerous and deadly force.

Also, I should mention that I've used up my backlog of chapters and I'm likely to be busier in my daily life than before, so there may be a slowdown in the rate at which I release chapters. I'll try to meet my usual upload time, but if a chapter comes in later than usual, this is why.


	26. Chapter 26

**A Familiar Past, Seen for the First Time**

* * *

><p>"I'm back." Yusei said as he stepped off the boat and onto the docks of the Satellite; by his estimate, it had been about two months since he'd left in pursuit of Jack. Everything looked the same, still broken down and unclean, the air itself held a dingy quality absent from Neo Domino City. The rumble of a nearby truck as it came to collect trash from the boat was met and exceeded by the rumble of the clouds hanging overhead.<p>

"So, this is where you grew up Yusei?" Rua said as he hunched over with his coat closed tight, the sharp wind biting at his arms and legs. A couple of the dock workers looked up at them, their faces covered in criminal markers. "I guess growing up here just makes you tough, doesn't it?" Rua huddled against Yusei, as did Ruka; it put him in the mind of when he and Jack were still young, the way they would keep a hand on Martha's apron whenever they went out to get supplies. Standing in Martha's position, facing the same challenges she faced, filled Yusei with a greater appreciation for everything that she'd done for him and everyone else that she'd cared for over the years.

"All right, let's hurry up." The female member of their "security detail", as Jaeger had put it, said; she was a tall woman with a large scar across her nose, a stark contrast to the stocky, smooth faced man who served as her partner. "The sooner you finish your little field trip, the sooner Kamui and I can get back to civilization."

"Relax Nagisa," Kamui the male security officer said as he took a drag off his cigarette, his teeth and his fingers both stained with tobacco. He tapped on the cigarette and watched the ashes as they fell away. "I'm pretty sure the punks here still remember the incident from four years ago, they're not going to be stupid enough to mess with us." Four year ago; Kiryu's assault and murder of that Security Officer followed by his arrest, capture, and execution. It would be a long time before anyone in the Satellite interfered with Security forces.

"And they'll be even less likely to get in my way." Jack walked ahead and turned back to face everyone with Mikage at his side. "I'll head over to Martha's as soon as I've taken care of things on my end."

"Whoa, hold on a second here." Kamui advanced towards Jack and Mikage. "You never mentioned anything about splitting off from the main group; it's a good thing that Vice Director Jaeger made sure there were two of us here or else there'd be a problem."

"Three." Mikage said as she interposed herself between Jack and Kamui. "I will be more than sufficient to keep Jack safe no matter what happens."

"We do not doubt your ability in that regard Mikage." Nagisa said, though her expression belied her words. "Our priority is to make sure that no one becomes misplaced until they've fulfilled their purposes. "

"There, you see? Nothing against you at all Mikage, just have to make sure we cross our t's and dot our I's and all that." Nagisa grinned, a pleasant expression despite the state of his teeth.

"You've nothing to worry about there; I've no intention of abandoning the assault on the Arcadia Movement." Jack's fist was clenched; if not for the gloves he wore he would have probably drawn blood. "Just stay quiet and out of the way."

"So long as you don't give me cause to do otherwise, I will do so." With that Jack turned to walk away, as did Mikage and Kamui.

"W-wait!" Ruka said, her voice seemingly strained; had she not yet fully recovered from her duel with Aki? "You shouldn't go Jack, it's too dangerous."

Jack turned back, walked up to Ruka, and got down on his knee to look her in the eye as he smiled warmly. "Don't worry, I know this place, there's nothing here Mikage or I can't handle."

Ruka closed her eyes tight as she shook her head. "No, it's not like that Jack; in my dreams last night, I saw…" She furrowed her brow, "…I saw feathers and scales and knives, all in a really dark place." Jack looked towards his destination, as did Yusei; the clouds were especially thick there.

"That so?" Jack raised an eyebrow. "I'll try to keep an eye out, but this is something I have to do no matter what." Jack stood back up and walked away with Mikage and Kamui.

"Don't worry Ruka." Rua said as he put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure Jack will be okay."

"I hope so." Ruka wrung her hands. Yusei put his hand over hers and squeezed.

"Come on, let's go see Martha." Yusei walked ahead, holding Rua and Ruka's hands while Nagisa followed behind, her eyes on the back of his head at all times. There were few people on the streets, and those who saw them got out of their way and averted their eyes; if questioned later, they would deny having seen anything at all. At one point Rua gasped at a graphic piece of graffiti that described what the writer would do if they got a hold of someone from the city; Yusei sped up his pace, everyone kept up with him. Everything became dimmer as the clouds grew darker and the air became thicker. As the first drops began to fall, Martha's house came into sight; Yusei was caught off guard at how his heart jumped in his chest at the sight of the home he'd grown up in, the only home he'd known for so long.

Now he stood beneath the awning at the door, Rua and Ruka still close while Nagisa stayed back, seemingly unconcerned by the rain. He knocked and waited; he could hear her footsteps approaching, a sound he'd memorized from staying up late at night in his room, reading well past his bedtime but not wanting to be caught. "Who is it?" She spoke through the door.

"It's me." Yusei heard the locks turning over, saw the door open, and there was Martha.

"Yusei?" Her eyes welled up with tears. "You're alive?"

"Yes." Martha embraced him, and he held her in turn. "I'm sorry I worried you so much."

"I saw your duel with that awful Black Rose Witch on the TV, and I didn't know whether you'd survived or not." Martha stepped back, wiped the tears from her eyes, and then put her hands on his shoulders as she looked at him. "You look different Yusei, your eyes are much brighter now." The last time she saw him, Yusei had no hope for his future, no dreams or goals beyond avenging Rally. "Oh?" Martha looked down at the twins. "And you two…I could swear I've seen you two before."

"I'm Rua, and this is my twin sister Ruka; Yusei's been living with us in the City." Rua and Ruka stood stiffly.

"Ruka…that's right!" Martha bent down at the knees to look Ruka in the eye. "You're that brave girl who tried to stand up to that horrible Black Rose Witch at the tournament."

"She's not horrible." Martha looked over at Rua, and judging from the look on his face he hadn't meant to say it out loud. "I mean, uh…"

Martha just smiled as she stood back up. Then she looked past Yusei with narrowed eyes. "And you are?"

"Security Officer Nagisa; I'm just here to make sure they don't try to abandon their responsibilities to Neo-Domino City."

"I see." Martha closed her eyes and breathed hard through her nose. "I suppose it's no use trying to keep you out then." Martha opened her eyes and stepped back into the house. Yusei led everyone in, including Nagisa; she found a nearby corner and stood in it, watching them all take their seats in the kitchen as she took out her cell phone. "So tell me Yusei, what happened after you made it into Neo-Domino City? Did you ever get the chance to face Jack?"

"I did." Yusei told Martha everything; he told her about his duel with Jack and how he'd reacted upon learning of Rally's death, how he'd lost and his arrest and imprisonment, and about Aki's attack on the Detention Center and how it allowed him to escape. He told her about how the twins had found him, letting Rua fill in a few details. Then he told Martha about his meeting with Rex Godwin, how he was blackmailed into competing in the Fortune Cup under threat of having the truth about his parents and their role in the Zero Reverse disaster revealed to the world; Martha's eyes grew wide, but she was not angered, not completely shocked. For Yusei this was confirmation that his suspicions were on target.

"After I'd been returned to the twins, I learned something from Ruka." He looked down into the young girl's eyes, letting her know that he needed her permission.

Ruka gripped her hands, took deep breaths. "I, I'd been watching Yusei's dreams, his dreams about his Mother; they were so warm and comforting, I couldn't help it."

"Thank you Ruka." He put his hand on hers and gave them a solid squeeze, gave her a small smile of appreciation. Then he returned to Martha. "When Ruka told me, she said that it felt like she was giving me away even though she didn't want to. Martha, would I be right in saying that it wasn't an accident that I came under your care, that my Mother chose you to raise me and keep me safe?"

"Your Mother had wanted me to be the only one who knew, to try and keep you safe from Rex Godwin." It was only then, in the moment when the weight was lifted off her shoulders, that Yusei became aware of it; she had carried the burden and the fear of the secret entrusted to her for so long that Yusei couldn't have imagined her without it. "When you decided to go after Jack, I feared that Rex would come across you, but I knew there was nothing I could do to stop you from going."

"I understand." Yusei reached his hand out to Martha's. "And I thank you for everything you've done for me, in spite of all the trouble Jack and I have caused for you; while you didn't give birth to me, I still consider you a Mother in my heart."

"Oh Yusei." Martha chuckled. "I swear, if you ever fall in love with someone, they won't stand a chance against your charm."

"Martha!" Yusei blustered, causing both Rua and Ruka to giggle at his expense; even Nagisa snickered, something outside his first impression of her. Yusei cleared his throat. "If you don't mind Martha, I would like to know more about when my Mother gave me up to you."

"Of course Yusei; it was 18 years ago, just a few days after Zero Reverse happened…"

* * *

><p>"Miyuki, thank goodness you're all right!" Martha embraced her friend. "I haven't heard from anyone since Zero Reverse, please come in, rest your feet you must be so tired." It was only after she guided the brown haired woman to the couch that she noticed the baby in her arms all bundled up with a scrunched up face. "Miyuki, is this Yusei?"<p>

"Yes he is." Miyuki's voice was strained as she ran her hand over her son's head; the child already had a layer of thin black hair with blond patches here and there, just like his father. "We'd worked so hard, tried to create a better world for Yusei and all the other children to grow up in…"

Martha sat down next to her friend. "Zero Reverse…it wasn't a natural disaster, was it?" Miyuki shook her head.

"I was on the other side of the glass, but my husband was there, he tried to stop Rudger but it was too late. He…I couldn't believe Rudger could do such a thing. I ran in as soon as I could, tried to get Yuu out of there, but one of us had to stay behind to minimize the damage done and he was already…" Miyuki clenched her eyes shut, squeezed the tears out. "I ran back home as fast as I could to pick up Yusei, and that was when I first saw Rex on the TV, claiming that Zero Reverse was a natural disaster. I realized then that once he'd consolidated his power he would come after me, to make sure I could never tell anyone the truth about what I saw."

Martha felt her face become cold and pale. "What are you going to do?"

"I've already taken the first step; I destroyed my apartment, made it look as though it had happened during Zero Reverse, made sure it looked like Yusei was crushed in his crib."

"What?" Martha felt her whole body grow cold at the detached tone Miyuki had used.

"So long as Rex believes Yusei is dead, he won't go after him." Yusei then started fussing, so Miyuki took out a bottle of formula and fed him. "That's why I came to you Martha, to ask this favor of you."

"You want me to take care of Yusei? But what about you, what's going to happen to you?"

"I can't stay here; if Rex finds me, he'll find Yusei and I'll do everything in my power to keep that from happening. And it's not just that; right now the entire world is falling apart, there're going to be countless people out there who need help, who need someone to help put things back together as best they can be. I can't bring Yusei with me to do that, it would be too dangerous and I wouldn't be able to keep him safe." Even so, Martha could see the tight grip she had on Yusei's bottle, saw the way she held him up in the crook of her arm.

"Don't worry Miyuki, I promise I'll do everything I can, I'll raise your son into a man you can be proud of, just like his father."

"I'm sure Yuu will appreciate hearing that." Miyuki took the bottle out of Yusei's mouth and he started reaching up at her hair with his cubby little hands. Miyuki hummed a lullaby and Yusei opened his mouth in a big gummy grin, cooing in imitation of her tune. Miyuki rocked her child in her arms as she stood up, walking about her home; the foundation had been a strong one, and so even as Domino City split in two the house remained in one piece, the land around it still manageable. Martha knew that good fortune such as hers was meant to be shared.

Little Yusei yawned just as the sound of distant sirens echoed faintly through the house. "I think it's time." Miyuki looked down at Yusei's face as he closed his little eyes. Martha held her hands out and waited. Eventually Miyuki placed Yusei in Martha's arms but she still held on. The child was so warm, and not just from all the blankets he was bundled up in. "Miyuki."

"I'm sorry Martha, you're right." Miyuki let go of her son. She walked back to the door. "Goodbye Martha…goodbye, Yusei." Miyuki left, picking up speed the further she got from the house until she was out of sight.

* * *

><p>"That's what I remember Yusei." Martha finished her story.<p>

"Wow." Ruka said. "Yusei, your parents were really amazing weren't they?" Her eyes had a light in them that Yusei hadn't seen in the past couple of days.

"Amazing? Try absolutely incredible!" Rua jumped off his seat and started pantomiming pressing down on a keyboard. "I mean, your dad did everything he could to stop Zero Reverse and keep it from being even worse than it was." Then he turned around and started walking in place with his back bent over. "And your mom, she misses you so much but she gave you up to keep you safe and so she could help out the whole world." Then he stood with his back unbent and gave a thumbs-up to Martha. "And you Ms. Martha, you did a really great job raising Yusei, because he's just a really great guy and he's been really good to us." Rua then stood there with a giant beaming grin on his face.

"Rua…" Ruka said with a familiar sense of menace, causing Rua to freeze up. "Don't you think you're being a bit glib?" She got off her chair and started walking up to Rua. "Don't forget that Jack is still out there, who knows if he's okay?"

"Right, I knew that." Rua stepped back away from his sister. "I'm just, really impressed by Yusei's parents, that's all." Ruka's expression softened.

"Yusei." Martha looked intently at him. "How is Jack?"

"He's seen better days; right now he's headed to where he and I first met Rally." That's what Jack told him, that he was going to end things where they began.

"I see; I suppose that's the best we could hope to come out of all this." Yusei could feel Rua and Ruka's eyes on him, that they wanted to ask about Rally and his connection with Jack.

"What?" Officer Nagisa shouted into her cell phone. "Kamui, you better get Jack out of there or your head will be on Jaeger's desk!" Nagisa slammed her phone shut. "Shit." Yusei could see the energy binding her in place, forcing her to stay where she was instead of rushing off to her partner's aid; he did not bother asking for any details, her expression showed how futile that would be. He also understood that Jack would be furious if he came running after him, so Yusei stayed where he was and waited for Jack's return.


	27. Chapter 27

**The Answer that Lies Beyond the Storm**

"You've improved, Akira." Aki Izayoi dismissed her Black Rose Dragon, their duel having reached its inevitable conclusion. "If you keep this up, you could even defeat one of Godwin's Signers."

"Do you really think so, Aki?" Akira was panting but stood his ground behind the barrier that Shino had erected around him with a Mirror Wall card, a necessary measure to keep him from being accidentally injured or killed by her power. "I could really become such a powerful duelist?"

"Of course; I faced and defeated all three of them, I know how much power they possess." Aki went over them in her mind; Jack Atlas the former King of Riding Duels, she had crushed his ego and left him easy prey for any who came after him. Akira was just about at that level of power. Then there was Ruka; her power, her communion with her cards and her ability to perceive the pain of her curse, it would be a while yet before Akira could face her. As for Yusei…he charged, he raced right into the path of her attack without wavering. Why? Aki shook her head; regardless of what he'd been thinking, regardless of his intent or purpose, he would die or he would submit to Divine's will; she hoped for the former but would be loyal to the latter if it came to that.

"Aki." Shino's voice disrupted Aki's introspection. "I'm going to need a break before the next match." Her scalp was slick with sweat.

"That's okay Shino, I think I'm ready to face Aki on my own now." Akira clenched his fist and spread his feet to assume his battle posture. "Aki, the Signers you faced, they didn't hold back against you at all, so I need to be ready to face that kind of opposition. I don't want to let you down Aki, I'd rather die than fail you when you needed me most."

"I truly doubt it will ever come to that." She saw Yusei in her mind's eye, and for a moment another figure stood behind him; a phantasm of her hidden memories, the ones that sought to destroy her. She forced it down and refused to recognize it, refused to let it have power over her. "However…" her past was meaningless, the only thing that mattered… "Divine wishes this to be done, and so it shall be." Yes, so long as she followed the path set out to her by Divine, she would have her revenge and know peace.

* * *

><p>"Rally." Jack stood at the corner where he and Yusei had first met Rally, where they first saved his life. Mikage was next to him, holding the umbrella up over both their heads. She was a short woman while he was a tall man, so she had to put her arm all the way up to do so; her expression showed no sign of strain, just like all the other times he'd caught her stretching, exercising, training, all so that she could protect him, all because she believed he truly deserved to be the King of Riding Duels. Now she knew the truth, now she knew what he'd done to become the King of Riding Duels; that he hadn't meant to cause Rally's death was irrelevant, his body was cold in the ground all the same, as cold as the rain all around them. "I'm sorry; you trusted me with your life and I betrayed you." Jack sighed. "I never told you about Kiryu, did I? He was a friend of mine and Yusei's, before we met you; he was our leader, and he trusted us to support him in everything, but we failed, let him down when he needed us and he died because of it. I tried to escape from that, and it cost you your life." Jack fell silent as the specters of his past looked upon him, their expressions inscrutable.<p>

"Jack." Mikage's voice was strained. "Sometimes, sometimes things are beyond anyone's ability to control."

"My entire identity as the King was built around that idea." He looked down at her. "Do you remember that time just a month after I first arrived in Neo-Domino City?" Of course she did, she kept track of everything; Jack had no idea why he was asking her, no idea what he hoped to accomplish save to cover the empty sound of raindrops.

"It was your first autograph session, and one child wanted to know where you got your first deck. I was worried because I'd failed to go over that with you in case someone asked, but you managed to improvise something all the same."

"I'd told him that the first card of my deck just came to me, blown into my room through an open window by a stray breeze and therefore it was fate that I became King." Despite himself, Jack smirked. "That actually isn't far from the truth at all, I really did happen upon the Red Demon's Dragon card by chance; seeing it inspired me, pushed me to take the first step on my journey." And where had that journey taken him? All the lies, all the sacrifices, was this really what they were all for?

Then they heard a man scream, sharp and short as a knife; it came from a nearby building, one that had been bombed out years ago, not long after Kiryu had been taken by Security. "All right, let's get back to the others before we get caught up in that." Officer Kamui put his hand on Jack's shoulder.

Jack pushed his arm away. "Same as always, eh Security Pig? Who gives a shit about Satellite Scum being killed, am I right?" Jack turned away and walked into the rain.

"Jack, don't make this diff-hurk!" Jack didn't need to look back to know that Mikage had put Kamui into a hold, which allowed him to focus all his efforts on the task at hand. He climbed over the rubble and down the other side. He found a stairway leading down, and from it came the sounds of rapid footsteps. Jack barreled down the steps and found himself in a hallway, half of which was buried in rubble. There were scorch marks and gouges all across every surface; it left Jack wondering what sort of explosives were used to demolish the building and why the job was left half-finished.

"Stay back!" He heard a woman cry out, her voice vaguely familiar somehow. Jack ran in her direction, the Dragon Mark on his arm glowing the closer he got to her. Along the way he saw a body, presumably the man he heard screaming earlier; there were deep cuts all over his body, and a bullet hole over his heart, as though the killer made sure he wouldn't survive. Jack kept running, he passed a doorway and stopped, somehow knowing that that was where he needed to be. He pulled the door open, damn near tearing it off his hinges, and saw a room that had been completely burned out, thick layers of soot everywhere. In the middle of the room stood a large man with thick muscles on his arms and back and a holster on his hip with a gun in it, and standing against the opposite wall was a middle-aged woman with short hair a shade brighter than maroon dressed in a business suit. Her face had the same vague familiarity as her low voice, a thought that Jack forced aside once more. Then Jack noticed that the man was holding a card out in his hand, and it was glowing, growing brighter with each passing moment.

"Get the hell away from her!" Jack's booming voice drew both people's attention, and the man's card dimmed, returned to normal.

"Jack Atlas?" The man said, his eyebrows arched. "What the hell are you doing here in the Satellite?"

"I think the reason why you're intent on killing an innocent woman is a far more pressing matter." Jack then looked to the woman, his eyes connected with hers; Hell, even that fierce look in her eyes was familiar, why couldn't he place her?

"Shit, this is bad." The man muttered. Then he got a spaced-out look on his face. Jack ran past him and stood in front of the woman.

"Who are you, and why is he trying to kill you?"

The woman paused, pursed her lips. "I am Senator Ikeda." Ikeda? Yes, he'd seen her on TV once or twice, but was that enough to account for the recognition he'd felt. "That man, Hayate, he's trying to keep me from exposing Divine's secret."

"Sorry, Senator Ikeda, but Lord Divine does not look kindly upon betrayal." Hayate rubbed his head; what was Ikeda's connection to Divine? "And while Divine did hope to be able to work with you Jack, you've heard too much as is." Hayate put on his Duel Disc and armed it.

"I see; you figured you'd take advantage of the Satellite's crime rate and use that to cover your tracks?" Jack's Dragon Mark burned even brighter as he put on his Duel Disc. "There's a special circle of hell reserved for people like you."

"Not going to happen, not so long as Lord Divine's got use for me at any rate." Hayate drew his cards. "I summon Dragunity Aklys." A slender red dragon with tiny arms and legs appeared, encased in reflective armor and what appeared to be a large spearhead attached to its head. "When this card is normal summoned, I can special summon another Dragunity monster from my hand and equip Aklys to it." Aklys screeched, and what appeared to be a man dressed like a bird flashed into being. He held his arm out, and Dragunity Aklys withdrew its arms, legs, and head into its armor, becoming like a javelin in Tribus's hand. "When Dragunity Tribus is summoned, I can send a level 3 Dragon-type monster from my deck to the grave." Tribus crouched down and put his hand on the ground, a steady beat emanating from the point of contact. Then there was a distant roar, and Dragunity Tribus smiled before assuming defense position. "Now I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 2, Jack: 4000 life points, Hayate: 4000 life points."

"Is that all? A pathetic weakling in defense position?" Jack knew there was more to Hayate's strategy, but he wasn't going to let his opponent know that he knew that. "I summon Twin-Sword Marauder, which not only penetrates defense but can attack a second time after attacking a defense position monster." Jack's monster raised an arm and charged.

"Think I don't notice, do you Jack?" Hayate brought his fists together as his trap card activated. "Trust me, whatever you've got in mind after springing my Dragunity Reverse Counter trap, it's not going to do you any good." Dragunity Tribus jammed Aklys into the ground. "I send one Dragunity card I control to the grave, and then equip my monster with a different one from the grave." Aklys vanished and was replaced by a large bronze shield, which Tribus quickly picked up. "At this time, since Aklys was sent to the grave while equipped to another monster, I can destroy one card on the field." Aklys reappeared halfway through Twin-Sword Marauder's midsection, slaying it. "Furthermore, when Phalanx is equipped to a monster by a card effect, I can special summon it to the field." Tribus tossed Phalanx up into the air, and the bronze shield unfolded to reveal a small blue dragon.

"I thought as much; since you control a monster and I don't, I special summon Vice Dragon at half attack power, and set two cards to end my turn."

"Turn 3, Jack: 4000 life points, Hayate: 4000 life points."

"I have to admit Jack, that was well played, though you could have done better; had you brought out Vice Dragon first, you could have at least destroyed Tribus or Phalanx, even with half attack power. I suppose after your duel with Aki, after being played so badly, you can't help but be cautious and wary, avoid opportunity for fear of it proving suspect."

"You accuse me of being afraid? If you had any idea of the things I've seen, you'd know a murderous coward is not something that could ever frighten me."

Hayate smiled. "No, I suppose not; after all, you look at one in the mirror all the time, don't you?"

"What?"

"You did kill that kid right? Part of your plan to escape from this hell hole and become the new King of Riding Duels, get rid of old and busted to bring in new hotness, am I right?"

"You…" Jack's eyes grew wide. "You can't be…"

"Why can't I be the former King of Riding Duels, the one you replaced? Someone's got to be me, so why not me?" Hayate laughed, the sound making Jack's blood run cold. "Don't worry, I'm not sore about that; if Godwin hadn't tried to have me eliminated and forgotten, my power would never have awakened and I wouldn't be able to serve Divine and the Arcadia Movement the way I do. It's just an unfortunate coincidence that you stumbled onto all this and I have to do away with you before you had your chance to serve Divine."

Jack gritted his teeth. "Fate's certainly a messed up mistress to put this in my path." Jack breathed in. "All right, looks like we've got more than one reason for this matchup, so take your turn and show me whether the old King can measure up to the new."

"That does dovetail with my mission, so I'll go right ahead and summon Dragunity Legionnaire, and activate its effect to equip it with Dragunity Aklys in my grave." A heavy, stocky looking figure with emerald green wings appeared, and in its hand was Aklys in spear form. "Legionnaire can send a Dragunity card from my spell/trap zone to the grave to destroy a monster you control, which goes quite well with Aklys's own effect, don't you think?" Legionnaire raised its hand high, was about to throw its weapon…

"Quick spell activate, Forbidden Chalice." A golden cup appeared over Dragunity Legionnaire and tipped over, spilling red wine all over it. "Until the end phase, your monster gains 400 attack points but its effect is negated." Legionnaire began wobbling about in place, unable to aim and thus unable to throw Aklys.

"And so I now know that your other card is there to keep me from being able to attack your vulnerable Vice Dragon, so why don't I go ahead and find out what that is." Dragunity Legionnaire ambled towards Vice Dragon, swinging Aklys around with reckless abandon.

"Activate trap card, Shadow Spell." Black chains shot out from the walls and wrapped Dragunity Legionnaire up, holding it in place. "Not only can your monster not attack or change position, but it loses 700 attack points in the process; in other words, you were exactly right Hayate."

"Indeed, I can see why Godwin wanted you under his thumb, and not just for your potential as a Signer." Hayate gripped his hand, and an odd glow surrounded him. "But, my mission comes first, so you will die along with Senator Ikeda all the same." There was a pressure in the air with no rational source. "I tune the level 1 Tribus and the level 3 Legionnaire to my level 2 Phalanx." Two rings, each with two stars spinning about within them. "The flying knight who always wields the right blade, Synchro Summon! Appear, Dragunity Knight Gae Dearg!" A massive black dragon with red armor here and there appeared, with Dragunity Legionnaire seemingly riding on its back and 2400 attack points. "Once per turn I can activate Gae Dearg's effect." Both rider and dragon roared. "I add a level 4 or lower Dragon or Winged-Beast type monster from my deck to my hand, and then discard a Dragon or Winged-Beast monster from my hand." Hayate took a card from the middle of his deck, and then sent a different card from his hand to the grave. "That ends my turn Jack."

"Turn 4, Jack: 4000 life points, Hayate: 4000 life points."

"Now I'm going to break this entire duel down and break your strategy; I sacrifice Vice Dragon to summon Strong Wind Dragon, which gains half the original attack of the sacrificed dragon monster." The purple Vice Dragon was replaced by the more muscular and stocky green Strong Wind Dragon, its attack power increasing from 2400 to 3400. "Strong Wind Dragon, destroy his monster!" Strong Wind Dragon flapped its wings and breathed emerald flames, yet something seemed off, the fire didn't consume Hayate's monster as quickly as it should have, and despite the damage registering, the attack never reached Hayate himself. "Let me guess, some Psychic Dueling trick, right?"

"Even if it doesn't do real damage, Solid Vision can mess with your head and throw you off your game, so I keep that from touching me and my mind remains perfectly clear. Of course, I can only do it because my power is small enough for me to control it that well; if I had power like Aki's, well…" Hayate shrugged his shoulders.

"Mildly amusing trivia, nothing more. I end my turn." Jack had no intention of being distracted by Hayate's prattle; he was an associate of the Black Rose Witch and was therefore his enemy. That he was also the former king and was making the Satellite complicit in his scheme merely tipped the scales of judgment further against him.

"Turn 5, Jack: 4000 life points, Hayate: 3000 life points."

"Oh I disagree Jack; once Godwin's been deposed and Divine is in charge, the details of how Psychic Dueling can manifest will be an incredibly important thing to know. Then again, you're not likely to see that day, so you might have a point with regards to your own situation." Hayate drew his card. "I summon Dragunity Dux and equip Phalanx from the grave to it, in turn activating its effect." This monster was silver in coloration, and had a bearing that demanded loyalty; thus, when Phalanx appeared at its side, the dragon bowed to it. "Now I tune my level 4 Dux to my level 2 Phalanx for another Synchro Summon." Once again, two rings and four stars. "The spear of heaven shall crash down, destroying all enemies without mercy, Synchro Summon! Appear, Dragunity Knight Vajrayana!" A mature version of Aklys appeared, its long serpentine body curving and twisting at its master's behest.

"Your monster has only 1900 attack points; what's the trick?" Jack suddenly found himself standing in the moment when Aki had summoned Black Rose Dragon. The moment passed.

"First, I equip Aklys from the grave to Vajrayana, and then I activate Vajrayana's effect to send Aklys back to the grave to double its attack power, which also once again activates Aklys's effect." Aklys appeared before Vajrayana's mouth, and when the monster roared the spear shot forward and pierced Strong Wind Dragon's heart, killing it on the spot. Then Vajrayana was right before Jack; he found himself staring into that maw, and beyond his own mortality he was aware of Senator Ikeda's, who was still standing right behind him. His Dragonmark burned hotter and brighter than it ever had before, and Jack stood against Vajrayana's attack with arms spread out and legs firmly braced against the ground. He felt deep cuts forming all over his body and his ribs felt like they would crack, but when the attack ended he still stood. "Impressive Jack, and considering that Vajrayana's attack will return to normal during the end phase, you may yet be able to take advantage of your endurance. At the very least, I can say that my replacement was well chosen. I end my turn."

"Turn 6, Jack: 200 life points, Hayate: 3000 life points."

"Replacement." Jack rolled the word around in his mouth, felt the word ring in his ear; that's what it came down to, he tried to exchange lives, oblivious to all the consequences it would have. No, not oblivious, he saw the dangers, saw the costs and didn't care, believed he could avoid paying them. This time though, this time he paid out of his own hide. "There is no replacement for the King of Riding Duels." Jack drew his card. "The title lives on, regardless of who bears it." He looked at his hand. "I activate Monster Reborn to special summon Vice Dragon back from the grave and then summon Dark Tinker to the field, allowing me to tune my level 5 Vice Dragon to my level 3 Dark Tinker." 3 rings, each with 1 star within them and 2 stars to fill the empty spaces between them. "The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Demon's Dragon!" Red Demon's Dragon pushed Vajrayana back. "Since Dark Tinker was sent to the grave, I now draw one card." Jack did so. "I now activate Cards of Consonance and discard Debris Dragon to draw two cards." Jack examined his new hand. "I now activate Submission; if I control a higher level monster than you, I can switch your monster to defense position and draw one card." Red Demon's Dragon roared and Vajrayana curled in on itself, even its master cowering before the might of Jack's monster. "Then I activate Grave Vendetta; by removing every monster in my grave from play, I special summon a Vendetta Token to your side of the field in defense position for every monster so removed." The spirits of Jack's monsters appeared and became twisted as they settled down on Hayate's side of the field. "If a Vendetta token is destroyed, you take 600 points of damage."

"I see, no wonder you didn't just attack with Red Demon's Dragon straight away." Hayate grimaced; instead of 1100 points of damage, he was going to take 2400.

"If I were to sully the King's name with such base dueling, I would have no right to the title. Now attack, Red Demon's Dragon, and obliterate all of his monsters!" Jack's arm glowed as Red Demon's Dragon crushed Vajrayana and then swept its claws through all the Vendetta tokens, unleashing pained screams that not even Hayate's technique could block out, leaving him winded. "Now I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 7, Jack: 200 life points, Hayate: 600 life points."

"Shit." Hayate felt at his chest, his hand shaking. "Guess I'm going to have to pull out all the stops to get through you, aren't I?" The aura around Hayate grew deeper as he drew his card. "I summon Dragunity Pilum and activate its effect to special summon Dragunity Militum and equip Pilum to it." A lime green dragon with black armor and a thin blade on its head appeared, then transformed into a Javelin. Then a female warrior with sharp silver wings appeared, taking hold of the weapon. "When Pilum is equipped to a monster, that monster can attack directly for half damage."

"And once again you try to avoid having to do battle with my monster, this time with a direct attack; how predictable." Jack glared and met Hayate's eyes. The two duelists stood in silence. Then Hayate looked past Jack, past Senator Ikeda, past even the room they were in.

"Well Jack." Hayate said, a grim expression on his face. "I took this duel for granted and have suffered accordingly. Fortunately, I learn from my mistakes." Dragunity Militum suddenly threw Pilum down at the ground, creating an explosion of black dust, and by the time it cleared he was gone.

"Thank you Jack." Senator Ikeda said. Jack turned to face her and saw that she was unharmed. "Takaya, he didn't last a second against that man."

"Your bodyguard, the one who died?" Jack recalled the body he saw earlier. "If you don't mind my asking, why did you come to a place like this, here in the Satellite?" Even with Hayate gone, there was still a presence, an animus of malice to the room they were in.

"I came to pray, to strengthen my resolve." Senator Ikeda had a thoughtful look on her face. "Tell me, would I be accurate in saying that you and Yusei Fudo know each other, Jack Atlas?"

"Yusei?" Jack recalled the end of the Fortune Cup, how his intervention on Yusei's behalf had drawn great attention. "Yes, what of it?"

"I need you to take me to him, it is very important that I meet him."

"I see." Jack then removed the face-down card he'd played on his last turn, Synchro Deflector; had Hayate gone through with his direct attack, Jack's trap would have been useless and he would have been dead on the ground in a matter of seconds. "I'll take you right to him."

"Thank you again." Jack and Senator Ikeda made their way out of the ruins and back onto the surface. Mikage was standing right outside, as was Kamui.

"Jack, are you okay?" Mikage looked him up and down, took in all his wounds. "We saw a man run out just a moment ago, he had a monster with him attacking the area around him."

"Shit, what the hell was a Psychic Duelist doing here anyway? This is definitely not good." Kamui said, and then he noticed Jack's guest. "Senator Ikeda!"

"Officer, if you will wait until we reach our destination, all your questions will be answered." Kamui joined Ikeda's side, Mikage joined Jack's. They started on the path to Martha's, and Jack explained everything about what had happened with Hayate. Everything.

* * *

><p>"Jack!" Martha cried out the moment the door opened, and Yusei had to agree; Jack looked like he'd been put through a meat grinder. "What happened?"<p>

"A long and unpleasant story." Jack entered, along with Mikage and Kamui, along with a woman that Yusei didn't recognize.

"Hello Yusei Fudo, I am Senator Ikeda." She bowed slightly to him. "I have something very important to ask of you, something I believe only you can handle."

"What is it?" Given Jack's state, Yusei figured that someone had targeted Senator Ikeda, someone dangerous and powerful; for someone to go that far to get rid of a Neo-Domino City senator, her request had to be something dire and important.

"I want you to do whatever you can to rescue Aki Izayoi from the Arcadia Movement."

"What?" Jack yelled, prompting Martha to grab his face for interrupting her efforts to bandage him up. Jack took a breath and started again. "Why would you want to 'rescue' the Black Rose Witch; she makes that bastard Hayate look like a helpless little bird."

Hayate, the one who Jack had fought against; Yusei would ask more about that later, but in looking at Senator Ikeda, in going over the way she'd said Aki's name, he began to put it together. "Senator Ikeda, may I ask what your connection to Aki Izayoi is?"

Senator Ikeda took a deep breath, sighed. She closed her eyes. "Ikeda is my maiden name; when I was married to my husband Hideyo, my name was Setsuko…Izayoi."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> I opted for the Dragunity cards for Hayate because I figured they were the best match for a "Former King", especially with all the "warriors riding dragons" imagery. Also, I opted for the anime versions of Strong Wind Dragon and Dark Tinker because I felt they were honestly better than the real life versions.


	28. Chapter 28

**The Memories that Wish to be Known**

* * *

><p>"Thank you Dad!" Setsuko Izayoi smiled as her 10-year old daughter Aki embraced her father Hideyo. "I can't believe got me a deck like this; it must have taken you forever to get all the right cards for it." It had; Setsuko recalled how her husband would lock himself in their room and open booster pack after booster pack, throwing away countless cards until he managed to find the one that would be a perfect fit for their little girl, and laughed at the memory.<p>

"Anything for my little weed." Hideyo's nickname for Aki for the way she grew, both physically and mentally; Aki was almost 1.5 meters tall already, and her last report card was full of notes from her teachers effusing praise for her. "And speaking of which..." Setsuko went over to the closet and took out the package hidden behind piles of shoes, and Aki's eyes glimmered.

"Your very own Duel Disc." Aki pounced on the package and opened it up, lovingly gazed at the rose red trim. "Now dear, what do you say?"

"Thank you Mom!" Aki clutched the duel-disc to her chest and squeezed tight; Setsuko thought it was a good thing that it wasn't alive. Then Aki turned around, hopped up and down. "Dad, can we duel now, can we?"

"Now?" Hideyo laughed, it was a wonderful sound. "Not quite now, I need to tend to my garden for a little while, but after that, after you clean your room, we can have a little duel."

"Okay!" Aki ran up the stairs two at a time, reaching her room in record time.

"I swear our little weed is going to run me ragged." Hideyo then made his way to his garden, and Setsuko settled down in her chair to resume reading _Thus Spoke Zarathustra_, one of the few copies to survive Zero Reverse and the collapse of the world outside Neo-Domino City. It was a dense and peculiar book, one that demanded great focus to understand just one of its parables and so Setsuko used it to fill the quiet moments like this one. After 15 minutes both Hideyo and Aki returned; Aki was practically about to jump out of her skin with excitement, and the smile on Hideyo's face went from ear to ear.

"I'm going to go first Dad!" Aki drew her cards without waiting for her father to agree. "I summon Wall of Ivy in defense position, and then I set one card to end my turn." A thick barrier of brambles appeared before Aki, looking unlike anything that Hideyo had ever grown in his garden. The thorns seemed to pulse, drip with some manner of toxin; the solid vision was so realistic, Setsuko swore she could smell it as it hit the ground and burned away.

"Turn 2, Aki: 4000 life points, Hideyo: 4000 life points."

"All right then my little weed, I summon Gaia Soul the Combustible Collective." Hideyo's monster looked was like an angry red cloud with a single eye. "Gaia Soul's attack penetrates defense, so brace yourself Aki!" Gaia Soul swelled as it filled up with energy, and then unleashed it in a blast of plasma that overwhelmed Aki's monster and slammed right into her.

"Good move Dad, but when you attacked Wall of Ivy you activated its effect, letting me special summon an Ivy token to your side of the field, and that means I get to activate my trap card Rose Flame." As Aki's Ivy token took root on Hideyo's side of the field, as Rose Flame's effect took hold, Setsuko saw a strange glow on her daughter's arm.

Then Hideyo screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground, small burns and scorch marks all over his body. "Hideyo!" Setsuko ran to her husband while Aki fell to her knees and stared down at her arm, the glow now a distinct pattern like a claw.

"Dad…" Aki sniffled as she struggled to hold back her tears. "I, I didn't mean to…" Setsuko's daughter was choking up before her eyes, but she couldn't leave her husband behind.

"I'm okay, my little weed." Hideyo choked out as he struggled to lift himself back up. "Your Dad's a tough guy, see?" He winced as he smiled, and Aki ran to them, embraced them as she wailed and the mark on her arm continued to burn bright.

* * *

><p>"You've heard about the Psychic Duelists, yes?" Dr. Kiirosawa stood above them in their seats, Aki still in his office, still asleep; it had been three days since she'd somehow injured her father in their first duel, and since then…<p>

"Yes, but I don't understand; even if Aki is one of them, that doesn't explain why she's..." Last night they'd heard Aki's screams coming from her room, and when they opened the door there were cuts all over her body, slowly but surely getting larger and deeper with each passing moment.

"By itself it wouldn't, but in addition to being a Psychic Duelist, your daughter is a Signer, and the combination means that she is constantly drawing upon the power of the Momentum reactor all the time, always building up in her body until it is released."

"So then, you're saying that if our little weed doesn't duel, doesn't release this energy into the outside world, her power will destroy her?" Hideyo's voice was hollow in the face of Dr. Kiirosawa's nightmare proclamation; hurt or be hurt, kill or be killed. How would the Overman overcome that, Setsuko asked herself, what would he turn upside down to make everything right?

"There has to be something we can do." Setsuko saw herself on an upside-down precipice, reaching out to her daughter's hand. It was wrapped in bandages that had been soaked through, keeping her from getting a proper grip.

"There is." Hideyo's voice was hard as stone, his eyes like ice. "We're not giving up on her, even if we have to go through hell itself for her."

* * *

><p>Hell was indeed the proper name for where they were, deep in the bowels of the Satellite. It was everything the Security detail could do to keep the gangs and criminals from breaking in, from discovering her daughter; the thought of those thugs alone with her little girl kept Setsuko awake at night, yet they had to do their work in the Satellite, no one back in the city could know, they wouldn't understand. Rex Godwin understood though, and a year into their stay he gave them a certain card to give to Aki, the Black Rose Dragon; It seemed to help somewhat, it reduced the severity of her own injuries but at the same time her power built up quicker, forcing her to destroy more and more, making it more and more impossible for her to ever lead a normal life again.<p>

"Excuse me." Setsuko looked up from her introspection and saw a young man standing before her with red hair hanging over one eye. "You are Mrs. Setsuko Izayoi, yes?" She nodded. The young man's visible eye became wide with relief. "Good, you would know your way around here, I'm afraid I've gotten myself lost." Then he paused and cleared his throat. "Forgive me, I forgot to introduce myself." He extended his hand. "My name is Divine."

"Divine?" Setsuko pondered the name as she shook his hand. "Isn't that an adjective?"

Divine laughed. "Truthfully it's a nickname, the nuns always yelling that if not for the Divine they would have tanned my hide raw, but I find I prefer it to the other one they gave me." He paused again. "We should talk as we walk; I need to meet up with your husband as soon as possible."

"Of course." Setsuko and Divine made their way down the hall, pinpointing what turns he should have made in the first place.

"Thank you very much Mrs. Izayoi, I greatly appreciate you taking time out of your schedule to help me like this."

Somehow Setsuko found herself smiling. "Truth be told Hideyo is the one who takes care of everything around here, it doesn't leave me much to do besides reading." She had of course moved on from Nietzsche and procured every document concerning Psychic Duelists and other strange phenomenon related to Duel Monsters.

"You shouldn't speak so dismally about reading, Mrs. Izayoi; I certainly would not be where I am today without all the studying I've done. I have every confidence that one day you will discover an important clue that will prove key to helping your daughter."

"Thank you Divine." Setsuko opened the door to her husband's office and saw that he was hunched over his desk, examining a half dozen holographic displays, each conveying their own sets of data on Aki. "Hideyo?" He looked up at the sound of her voice, deep heavy rings around his eyes.

"Ah, Divine, I was worried something had happened to you on the way here." Hideyo stood up, closed the monitors on his desk. "Now I can introduce you to Aki, maybe now we'll finally see some progress."

"I hope so sir." The three departed from his office and arrived at the door to the testing chamber. Hideyo entered the security code, waited for the biometric scans to conclude, and then entered.

"Little weed." Hideyo said, though at age 12 Aki was no longer little, now nearly as tall as Setsuko and with bangs hanging well over her eyes. She was facing a reinforced mannequin, its arms just hanging on while deep cuts perforated the torso. She turned to face them, sweating, gasping for breath. "I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine; his name is Divine."

"Hello Aki." Divine leaned forward a little with a soft smile on his face. "Your father's told me all about you, how brave and resilient you are; I know if this had happened to me when I was your age, I wouldn't be handling it anywhere near as well as you."

"Thank you." Aki's was so soft, as though afraid that she might hurt Divine by raising her voice.

"I want to give you something Aki." He reached into his inner coat-pocket. "It was something a friend of mine gave me to remember her by when she was adopted, and I'd like you to have it, to draw on her strength." Divine pulled out what seemed to be some sort of metal hair-curler. "Here, why don't you try it on?"

Divine held it out to Aki. Her hand darted out and took it. She turned it over in her hands, then put it on as best she could; it was sloppy and inelegant, but now her hair was no longer covering her eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Divine." Aki said, more energy in her voice than before.

"You're welcome Aki, you have powerful eyes."

"Setsuko." Hideyo said. He nodded towards the door, and so the two left the room. "I suppose I owe an apology for not telling you about Divine earlier."

"No, you've been very busy."

"Thank you for forgiving me, but this is something you should know; he is the leading expert on Psychic Duelists and Rex Godwin himself recommended him to me."

"Godwin?" First Rex Godwin delivered the Black Rose Dragon to them, and now this man Divine.

"Yes; we both want to see Aki able to control her powers, for the good of the city."

* * *

><p>"Happy Birthday Aki!" Setsuko and Divine applauded as Aki blew out the 13 candles on her cake; she'd only gotten a little taller over the past year, but her face was becoming leaner and her figure was beginning to fill out; visions of Aki fending off suitors danced in Setsuko's mind before they were dashed on the rocks of reality, for despite her efforts and all of Divine's assurances she was no closer to finding anything that could help her daughter lead that normal life.<p>

"Thank you everyone." Aki bowed to them. "You'll tell Dad I really liked his gift as soon as he gets back, right?" Aki held her book tight in her arms, the latest in the _Mystical Moon Maiden Asako_ series; it was the story of a high school girl named Asako and her two-fold journey to defend her home from evil and discover the secrets of her previous life.

"Absolutely Aki." Setsuko wore her smile as a mask for her daughter, the same as her husband whenever he was around her.

"Here." Setsuko was pulled out of her thoughts and saw Divine offering a slice of cake. "It's important to keep your blood glucose level up."

"Thank you." She took a bite of the cake; it was strawberry, rich and moist with vanilla frosting. She had balked at the expense of having it delivered all the way from the city, the special guard detail needed to keep it safe from the gangs that were springing up, but in the moment she was consumed by base and simple pleasure.

Divine nodded at Setsuko, then turned to Aki. "You're a very understanding young woman Aki; if I'd had a father and he wasn't around for my 13th birthday party, I don't think I'd speak to him for weeks, just on principle."

Aki's face dipped, downcast. "It's not that I don't want him here, but he's always so busy trying to help me, so I know he cares even if he isn't around."

"Yes, he's a very hard working man." Divine looked away from Aki.

"Aki?" Setsuko said. "Do you suppose I could talk with Divine privately for a moment?"

"Sure thing Mom." She sat down in her seat, cake on her plate and book open at the beginning of the story. Setsuko walked Divine out of the sound-proofed room.

"Is something the matter, Mrs. Izayoi?"

"You think there's something happening with my husband, don't you?" Setsuko's eyes were narrowed, as though they were emitting a narrow, piercing beam of light.

Divine grimaced. "I guess I can't hide anything from you Mrs. Izayoi; as of late, your husband has been having me go over the Satellite crime data with a fine-toothed comb."

"You? But you're not a criminology expert, what could he expect you to find?"

"I believe he expects me to find something relating to my field of expertise."

"Your field…?" Setsuko gasped. "You think he's trying to find more Psychic Duelists?"

"That's what I thought, and I've been investigating the financial records; Hideyo's been requesting increased funding from Mr. Godwin, exactly the funds needed to keep another Psychic Duelist here."

"Well, why not? Having another Psychic Duelist here could help us to figure out how to bring Aki's power under control and let her lead a normal life again." Yes, that made sense.

"So why not search for a Psychic Duelist from the city? Wouldn't that be easier, and wouldn't such a Psychic Duelist be more likely to cooperative, less violent?" Setsuko looked down. "Wouldn't such a child have parents or guardians who would have to be kept in mind?"

Setsuko looked back up, felt her forehead crease as she raised her eyebrows. Her breath was short and sharp. "No, you're mistaken, you have to be." Her husband, Hideyo, he couldn't possibly be planning on using the people of the Satellite as experimental fodder.

"For Aki's sake, I hope you're right."

* * *

><p>A little over a year had passed. Aki was continuing to grow, both in maturity and her power, forcing her to duel even more often to keep everything under control. Divine's words stayed in Setsuko's mind, kept her vigilant. "Aki." Hideyo said to their daughter while she and Divine stood behind him. "Today, I want to try something different." Hideyo presented Aki with a black visor. "I want to see how well you can control your power without being able to see or hear; this could really help us to figure things out."<p>

"Sure thing Dad." Her voice was starting to acquire the same husky quality she had.

"Thank you my weed; there will be a soft red light inside the visor and while that light shines, I want you to unleash all the power you can and focus it all straight forward." Aki nodded, positioned herself to face where the Training Menequin would come out and put the visor on, covering her eyes and ears completely. The three of them then stepped out and made their way to the observation room; one monitor showed Aki, ready and waiting for the moment to strike, and the other…the room that should have contained the mannequin instead contained a young man with pale blue hair no older than 14; he was being held up by a rod, unconscious and looking half dead on his feet.

"Who is that?" Setsuko hissed.

"A piece of Satellite Scum who's been stirring up a lot of trouble as of late," Hideyo said. "He was sentenced to be executed for killing a Security Officer, so I pulled some strings to have him brought here."

"His name," Divine said, his bile barely held back, "is Kiryu Kyosuke, former leader of Team Satisfaction."

"Yes, that's right, you did look him up for me after all." Hideyo stood there, his entire countenance now full of sharp, cold angles.

"What the hell are you thinking Hideyo?" She interposed herself between him and the console. "We are trying to help our daughter, not turn her into a weapon; do you have any idea what this will do to her?"

"It will do nothing to her, so long as she does not know about it, and she won't thanks to the visor." He had, he'd planned this all out, but from how long ago?

"Mrs. Izayoi." Divine motioned her over, whispered in her ear. "Don't worry; the moment he sends the signal, the visor will remove itself from Aki, she won't have the chance to hurt him." Divine knew, and while he couldn't overtly stop HIdeyo's plan, Aki would at least be spared the worst of her father's betrayal.

"All right Hideyo, you may proceed." Hideyo worked the console, opened the panel on the wall separating Aki and Kiryu. The rod moved towards Aki, carrying its human cargo. Setsuko braced herself as Hideyo pressed the button, sent the signal to Aki's visor, prepared herself to rush in and explain everything to her.

"I summon the Black Rose Dragon!" What? Why was she…why hadn't the visor fallen off? "I activate Black Rose Dragon's effect and switch the opposing monster to attack position with zero attack points!" Black Rose Dragon's vines whipped out and wrapped around Kiryu's body. He began to stir. "Black Rose Dragon, attack!" Aki's Dragon Mark burned scarlet as the Black Rose Dragon unleashed its breath weapon, as Kiryu Kyosuke awoke and saw his death before him.

Then the visor fell away. It clattered against the floor while Aki shrieked, unable to stop the attack that was already in motion, unable to look away as Kiryu's body was consumed, wrecked, and destroyed, nothing left but shattered bones and torn flesh. "Damn it!" Hideyo growled, and then he ran into the room. "Aki!"

"Why?" She shuddered, tears soaking her cheeks. "How could you?"

"Aki, listen to me, I've told you about Omelas right? The city where everyone's happiness came at the cost of one person's misery? Though you are suffering, you will bring everyone so much happiness and joy; is that not virtue itself? Surely my little weed can handle that, for the good of everyone?"

Aki's chin shook, Setsuko felt paralyzed. "You…you…No!" The Black Rose Dragon answered her call and slammed Hideyo against the wall, cracking concrete and glass. "You're not my Dad, what happened to my real Dad?" The Black Rose Dragon breathed its fire everywhere, burning everything.

"Aki…" Hideyo coughed up blood. "You…monster." The Black Rose Dragon bit down on Hideyo, ripped his throat out. Then it reared back and began firing up through the ceiling, destroying anyone and anything that was caught in its path.

"Aki!" Divine ran into the room just as a piece of rubble was about to land on Aki; he pulled out a card from his pocket and a sword appeared in his hand, which he used to deflect the rubble away from Aki. Then he tossed the sword away and wrapped his arms around Aki. "It's okay, it's all going to be okay Aki; no one's going to hurt you anymore." The Black Rose Dragon vanished, though the fiery devastation remained. "I'm so sorry, Aki."

In that moment Setsuko felt as though a yoke had been removed from her. She ran in. "Mom!" Aki was about to run to her, but Divine held her back.

"Aki, are you sure? Do you believe you can trust her?"

Setsuko froze in place, felt her breath catch in her throat, unable to act or speak. "What do you mean Divine?" Aki asked.

"Don't you think your mother knew? Don't you think if she'd really wanted to stop your father from doing this, she would have?" Setsuko's breath was short and sharp. For a moment she caught her daughter's eye, and they saw the same memory, the memory from when Aki's powers first activated, how she stayed at her husband's side instead of running to her daughter. "I tried to stop them Aki, but they wouldn't listen, and I couldn't get anyone else here on my side; they knew but they didn't care."

"They didn't?" Fear, fear held Setsuko in place, and something else.

"No, and something this big, something this elaborate, it can't be kept secret, people talk, they tell their friends and their friends speak and before long everyone knows, and so long as they could use your power for their purposes, none of them cared what would happen to you."

"No, that can't be, no, no…"

"I'm sorry Aki, Neo-Domino City, your home, it betrayed you."

Suddenly Aki collapsed, fell unconscious in Divine's arms. "You." Setsuko spoke with a fury that left her outrage against her husband a dim ember by comparison. "What have you done?"

Divine stood up, held Aki in his arms, smiled. "I have sealed away all conscious memory of what has happened here; all she will know is the feeling in her heart that the city has betrayed her, that I am the only one she can trust."

"All this time, for two years, you've been working towards this, you manipulated my husband somehow, turned him into a monster."

"No, your husband was already on this path well before I arrived; I just made sure that it would end at the moment best suited for my purpose."

"And just what is that? What are you going to do with my daughter?"

"What else? She is my Joan of Arcadia and with her power as both a Signer and a Psychic Duelist, I will conquer Neo-Domino City. Of course, the more help I have the better, and the sooner she fulfills her mission the sooner her pain will cease; so tell me, Mrs. Izayoi, will you do everything in your power to assist me, to assist the Arcadia Movement?"

Setsuko clenched her fist. "For Aki."

* * *

><p>Martha's house was silent save for the rain pounding on the roof. Even Jack, who'd slammed his fist against the table when Senator Ikeda revealed the truth about Kiryu Kyosuke's fate, had no response in the wake of what he'd just heard. Rua cried into Martha's apron while Ruka had sunk into herself. "Yusei Fudo." Senator Ikeda spoke once more. "For years I have kept my eyes out for anyone who could help my daughter, who could free her from Divine and return her to me; I watched you, Ruka, and Jack at the tournament, and you came closest to reaching her. I know I'm asking a lot of you and you don't have to decide now, but please consider it, for Aki's sake."<p>

"It won't be easy, and I can't do it alone, but we will help your daughter find her path."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> This chapter was the one that I'd really, really, really wanted to write when I started this fanfiction, so I consider this something of a milestone for myself.


	29. Chapter 29

**Brilliant Claws**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> Well, it certainly has been a long damn time since I've updated this story, hasn't it? I hadn't planned on taking this long of a break, but for a long time I just wasn't feeling any inspiration, couldn't get the words to flow. Fortunately, it looks like that problem has been resolved, and so I shall endeavor to once more regularly update this story, and I hope to measure up to your expectations. Now then, onto the story!

* * *

><p>Tsubasa sniffed as he looked around the warehouse; the scent of refuse and waste permeated both the place and the people within it. They looked up as Tsubasa walked towards them, calculations visible in their eyes; was he alone or did he have friends waiting in the wings, what weapons did he have hidden on his person, that sort of thing. It was the same look that he'd been getting ever since he got into the Satellite. "Which one of you is the leader of the Rabid Weasels?"<p>

"You're looking at him." A very tall, wiry man stood up, blond hair standing up on his head to make him seem even taller. He spoke with a high, nasal voice. "Name's Keith Ratzinburg; now who are you that you'd be looking for us instead of running back to mama's teats with your tail between your legs?"

His underlings snickered until they noticed how unimpressed Tsubasa was. "I have a job for you all." Tsubasa took out his PDA and displayed a holographic image of Rua and Ruka. "These two children are from Neo-Domino City, but have been brought here to the Satellite; my employer would like them returned where they belong."

"Neo-Domino City brats?" Keith arched his eyebrows. "Not a chance in hell, the kind of security detail they'll have, there's no way we wouldn't all be arrested for even trying."

"Actually, Security is short-handed at the moment; if you overwhelm their assignment with your numbers and skills, your lot could easily manage this."

"Yeah? And what's in it for us, assuming we pull through?"

"Citizenship in the city; records are all prepared, just have to check a few things off and you'll be living the good life." Keith's eyes bugged out, same as his followers; they shined with a light that wasn't there before.

"All right then, spill the details, the where when and how of your little operation." Tsubasa had to admit it, Divine had the right of it; tell a piece of Satellite Scum that they can go into the city, and they'll walk through Hell itself to get there. In all honesty, Tsubasa couldn't blame them; the brackish water that had to be cleaned, the smog that acted as a miasma, no green of any sort to be found anywhere, the Satellite wasn't fit for rats, much less human beings.

Sure, Divine's methods had their compromises, but given what he was trying to overturn and overcome Tsubasa had no problem following Divine's orders at all. Neither did Yua.

….

"Thank you Yusei." Rua wiped the tears from his eyes. "I knew Aki wasn't really bad, and now we know how to save her."

"Yes, we do." Rua barely heard Ruka, she still had her head ducked down in her chest.

"Ruka, are you okay?" Rua tried to look her in the eyes, but she averted her gaze.

"I'm fine Rua, just fine." A pair of hands came down on Ruka's shoulders; Rua looked up and saw Martha standing over them.

"Ruka, would you like to come into my room?" Ruka nodded, still looking away from everyone. She got up out of her chair and started walking away with Martha.

"Umm, Can I come with you?" Rua braced himself.

"Well Ruka?" Martha said, and Ruka nodded. Rua followed them into Martha's room and closed the door behind them; it was a small room, barely enough room for a bed and dresser-drawers. Really, Matha's entire home could fit inside their living room with room to spare; it made Rua wonder how on Earth she'd raised Yusei and Jack and so many other children over the years.

Then Rua heard his sister's breath, short and sharp. "It's okay Ruka, we're right here; everything's going to be okay."

"No thanks to me." Ruka finally looked up, her eyes swollen.

"You were crying?" Rua became dizzy, woozy from the revelation.

"Ruka." Martha sat down on the mattress and pulled Ruka onto her lap, put her head against her chest; it was like the vision of Yusei's dream that Ruka had shared with him, only real. "When you're ready, you can tell me."

"I just…before we got here, I tried to warn Jack, I told him it would be dangerous if he went off on his own."

"Yeah, and because you warned him, he was able to protect Aki's mom and she was able to tell us the truth." Rua felt his stomach clench as he watched Ruka shaking her head with her eyes clenched shut.

"No, you don't understand, if Jack had really listened to me, he wouldn't have been there to save Mrs. Ikeda; if Jack had listened to me, she would have died and Divine's secrets would have died with her and Yusei would be thinking of…" Ruka looked up at Martha. "Yusei told you earlier, about how Rex Godwin was blackmailing him by threatening to blame his parents for Zero Reverse, and you mentioned Rex's brother in your story about Yusei's mom."

"And you think Yusei would join Divine and the Arcadia Movement in their battle against Rex Godwin?" Somehow that hadn't occurred to Rua, yet he had to admit, before hearing Aki's mom's story, given the chance to join the Arcadia Movement and help lighten Aki's burden, he probably would have.

Ruka nodded. "And, and that's not all; back in the Fortune Cup tournament, I, it was my mission to stop Aki, to keep her from hurting herself and everyone around her, and I failed." Ruka dipped her head back down. "All my life I thought I was special, I thought I was different, that there were things only I could do, but I couldn't, not when it mattered. Every time I've tried, it's always gone wrong." Rua was certain of it, they were both thinking of Yusei protecting her from Aki's attack.

"…You're just like Yusei you know." Ruka and Rua both looked up at Martha. "After what happened to Kiryu, after what happened to Rally, he withdrew into himself, gave up on his dreams and hopes, his ability to believe in himself shattered. He's such an exceptional boy, yet through no fault of his own he's had such terrible burdens put on him."

"Just like Jack, and Aki too." Rua said, his fist clenched. "I guess that's what being a Signer means, having to put up with so many awful things happening all around you. But Ruka." Rua took a deep breath. "Without you, without your gift, without you to tell Yusei what you saw in his dream, we wouldn't have come back here to the Satellite in the first place. Trust me Ruka, I know all about screwing up all the time, and you're as far from that as you can be." Rua bit the bullet and joined Ruka on Martha's lap. "Things have been rough lately, but nothing's gone so wrong we can't fix it, and you'll get your chance to set everything right and use your dueling to help save Aki. I promise Ruka, I promise."

Ruka looked at him. She just hugged him, didn't say a word. Martha held them both in her arms, and Rua once again found himself deeply jealous of what Yusei had always had that they never did.

….

"Yusei." Jack said the moment the door to Martha's room was closed. "Do you really think you can help Aki?" Jack met Senator Ikeda's glare. "Don't get me wrong, I'm sympathetic to your daughter's plight, but at the same time Divine has no doubt conditioned Aki to believe him and only him with all the force of her being. And what's more…"

"Even under duress," Mikage spoke for him, "the fact is that Aki Izayoi is guilty of multiple counts of murder; under Neo-Domino City law, she would be sentenced to death and anyone who helped her to evade justice would be sentenced to life at the Detention Center."

"Neo-Domino City law." Senator Ikeda looked up at Mikage. "Do I look like someone who cares about the law, who thinks there is any merit to it or those who make it? I spearheaded numerous measures to grant Divine and the Arcadia Movement the finances and legal powers, I made deals, called in favors, dug up secrets, and all throughout I saw Godwin's hand smoothing things over."

"It's more than just the face I see." Smoke issued forth from Officer Kamui's mouth, same as from his cigarette. "You and your daughter have the same antipathy towards the city, though she had to be mind-whacked into it; you, you're just interested in you and yours and to hell with Neo-Domino City."

"Kamui!" Officer Nagisa's voice could have cut Kamui's face. "This has nothing to do with us, so keep your opinions to yourself."

"Fine, just thought I'd air my thoughts out." Kamui resumed his smoking.

Yusei spoke with a power he'd never used before. "As I said before, helping Aki will not be easy, Senator Ikeda; the fact of the matter is that in the end Aki has to break free of Divine's control on her own and find her own path. If I or you or anyone else were to guide her or influence her, she would become dependent all over again and nothing would change." Yusei looked up at Jack. "We have to show her that being a Signer is not a curse.

Jack was about to respond when an explosion sounded from in front of the house, a Molotov-cocktail. "Hey!" A high, nasal voice called out. "This is Martha's place, the place where you're harboring those Neo-Domino City brats, right?"

"Not a safe place to keep kids like that, don't you think?" Another voice, scratchy like he'd smoked far too much.

"No knowing what could happen to them in this hell hole you know." A husky female voice said with a laugh.

"So why don't you turn them over to us, and we'll get them back on their soft beds with the fancy feather-stuffed pillows in no time, deal?" The first voice said to the cheers of his followers, two dozen at least. Yusei made his way to the window just as Martha returned with Rua and Ruka; he saw the gang outside, every member armed with a pipe or knife or other such weapon.

"Shit." Officer Nagisa said. "How the hell did they know the kids were here? Word couldn't have spread that fast."

"It doesn't matter how they know, only how we respond." Officer Kamui said as he put out his cigarette. "Someone's going to distract them in the front while Nagisa and I help the kids escape out the back." Yusei and Jack looked at Officer Kamui, then at each other; Yusei could tell that he and Jack held the same suspicions.

"I'll go deal with them out front." Jack said as he winced from his injuries.

"You sure you're going to be okay Jack?" Rua said as he stayed close to Ruka and Martha's side.

"Don't worry kid, these guys are nothing compared to what I've had to deal with before." Jack walked over to Rua and ruffled his hair.

"And I would be remiss in my responsibilities if I allowed anything more to happen to Jack." Mikage put her hand on Jack's shoulder, careful to avoid where it was still tender.

"Well?" The leader called out once more. "You going to hand those kids over or do we got to wreck the last nice house in the whole Satellite?" Some of the gang members started banging their weapons together. Jack and Mikage made their way to the front door.

"Be careful." Yusei said.

"We will." Jack replied.

"Good, now let's get out back through the kitchen while we have the chance." Officer Kamui said, confirming Yusei and Jack's suspicions.

"Senator Ikeda, you stay with me." Officer Nagisa said, and despite visible disdain Senator Ikeda went along with her.

Martha led everyone to the kitchen even as they heard the front door open. The sound of a body hitting the ground signaled the start of the fight. Yusei kept his focus on Rua, Ruka, and Kamui as they exited out the back. The conspicuous absence of any gang members in the back kept Yusei on alert as he and the others made their way through the back alleys of the Satellite.

"If we go this way, we'll get back to the docks in no time." Officer Kamui said.

"How would you know?" Yusei said. Everyone stopped. "You've never been in the Satellite before."

"That's right." Martha said, stepping back from him, taking Rua and Ruka with her. "And you knew about the back exit in the kitchen even though you hadn't been in there before."

"What's more," Officer Nagisa interposed herself between him and Senator Ikeda, "You didn't react at all to the attack on the house."

Officer Kamui glared at them all as he lit up another cigarette. "I did my homework before coming into a dangerous hellscape; what's supposed to be suspicious about that?"

"There's more; you actively tried to prevent Jack from helping Senator Ikeda."

"My responsibility was to keep him safe no matter what, now let's keep moving before the Rabid Weasel's catch up to us."

"Rabid Weasels?" Nagisa narrowed her eyes. "They never identified themselves to us, how did you know which gang they were?"

Officer Kamui fell silent as he took a long puff on his cigarette. Then a new voice made itself known. "Stand down Kamui, I'll salvage this." A pale skinned woman stepped out from the alleyway that Officer Kamui had intended to lead them down. She adjusted her glasses and swept her pitch black hair back away from her face. "Turn over the twins to me." She armed her Duel Disc as Kamui stepped aside..

"Who are you, and why do you want Rua and Ruka?" Yusei stepped forward, his Duel Disc armed and ready.

"My name is Yua, and truthfully I only need Ruka, but she will be much easier to manage if she is not separated from her twin brother." As Yua spoke, a strange sparkling luminosity surrounded her.

"I can't allow that, no matter what." Yusei drew his cards. "I will not let them down." Yusei examined his hand. "I summon Road Runner in defense and end my turn." The presence of the Solid Vision within that narrow alleyway forced both sides away from each other. "Divine will not get his hands on them."

"Turn 2, Yusei: 4000 life points, Yua: 4000 life points."

"You are a smart one Yusei; I can relate to that." Yua drew her card. "Unfortunately, I have those I can't let down either." She glanced at her hand. "I summon Vylon Soldier." The light surrounding Yua coalesced in front of her and became a shining metallic figure, silver along the torso, gold along the arms and head with 1700 attack points. "Next, I equip Vylon Soldier with Vylon Material." A spear-like attachment appeared on Vylon Soldier's arm, increasing its attack power to 2300. "I now attack with Vylon Soldier and activate its effect; for every card equipped to it, I can change the battle position of one of your monsters." Vylon Soldier flew up in front of Road Runner and then drew a pattern of light in the air before it. Road Runner, lured by that pattern, dropped its guard and was stabbed right in the gut for 2000 points of damage even though its effect kept it from being destroyed. The pressure wave from that attack passed into Yusei, and he recognized the sensation all too well.

"You're a Psychic Duelist, you work for Divine." Yusei kept himself on his feet, set aside the pain; he'd endured against Aki, he could handle this.

"That didn't take you long to figure out; you really are a smart one Yusei." Yua adjusted her glasses. "And judging from Senator Ikeda's presence, I assume she's already told you her little story about Aki."

"So you know and you don't care what Divine did to her?"

"I know, but I do not believe a word of her self-serving tale." Yua looked up from her cards, her glasses catching the light such that Yusei could not see her eyes. "I know for a fact that if things happened the way she said they did, she had options, there were actions she could have taken to keep Aki under her care; that she did not shows that she is nothing but a coward intent on using all those around her to avoid any personal responsibility." The words came out bitter and stinging, and for a moment Yusei could feel the unmistakable sensation of blood on his skin. He looked back at Senator Ikeda, saw the guilt twisting her face. "Now I activate Vylon Element." A series of energy rings appeared above Yua, crackling ominously. "I end my turn."

"Turn 3, Yusei: 2000 life points, Yua: 4000 life points."

Yusei drew his card but kept his eyes on his opponent. "I summon One-Shot Rocket, and tune it to Road Runner to Synchro Summon One-Shot Cannon in defense position, and then I activate its effect to destroy Vylon Soldier and inflict damage equal to half its attack power." Yusei's zero attack, zero defense monster gathered its energy, and fired a column of light that annihilated Vylon Soldier.

"Yes, Divine did warn me that you have a way of making use of weak monsters to your advantage. Fortunately, I am prepared on two fronts; first, when Vylon Material is sent from the field to the grave, I may add a single Vylon spell card from my deck to my hand. Next, Vylon Element's effect activates; when a Vylon equip spell card is destroyed and sent to the grave outside of the damage step, I can special summon a Vylon Tuner monster from my deck to the field; come forth, Vylon Prism!" Another golden figure manifested from within the rings of Vylon Element, the lower half a shimmering crystal that refracted the light that passed through it.

"You were well prepared for that move; how long has Divine been planning this?"

"I'm surprised Yusei; I would not expect you to have such a cartoonish notion of how plans work. Divine's leadership comes from his ability to adapt, to change course as events occur around him."

"Then I guess I'm not so different from Divine in that regard."

"What?"

"I activate De-Synchro to return One-Shot Cannon to my extra Deck and special summon Road Runner and One-Shot Rocket back to the field, and I perform my Synchro Summon once more, allowing me to activate One-Shot Cannon's effect once again." The pounding pressure of that light beam obliterated Yua's monster for 750 points of damage.

"More clever than you even realized Yusei; Vylon Prism's effect can only activate if I control another monster on the field when it gets sent to the grave."

"Or in the moment right after, for a Synchro Summon?"

Yua adjusted her glasses again. "You've discerned the principal of my deck rather quickly. It will not avail you."

"It's not just that that will let me win." Yusei glanced back at Martha and the twins. "I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 4, Yusei: 2000 life points, Yua: 2150 life points."

"…I will show you the difference that exists between you and Divine." Yua drew her card. "I summon Vylon Ohm, and when normal summoned, I can remove an Equip spell card in my grave from play and add it to my hand during my next standby phase." Vylon Ohm pressed its arms against the ground, and a strange rhythmic vibration shook them all.

"Before that resolves, I activate my trap card, Hidden Soldiers; when you normal summon a monster, I special summon a level 4 or lower Dark monster from my hand. Come forth, Ghost Gardna!" Yusei's new monster flanked One-Shot Cannon.

"One more monster will not make the difference; I equip Vylon Ohm with Vylon Segment, and then activate Cyclone to destroy Segment." Yusei was not surprised by this tactic, Vylon Element still hovered overhead, the energy rings still crackling ominously. Then a device like a rail-canon attached onto Vylon Ohm's head, presumably Vylon Segment. Shredding winds tore it apart within seconds. "When destroyed and sent to the grave, Vylon Segment allows me to add another Vylon spell card from my deck to my hand, while Vylon Element's effect allows me to special summon Vylon Cube from my deck." Crashing lights churned within Elements rings, and a golden cube appeared. "Now, I tune my level 4 Vylon Ohm to my level 3 Vylon Cube." Four stars, three rings. "The sacred patterns, the cold gleaming will of the future…Synchro Summon! Appear, Vylon Sigma!" A silver body with golden rings encircling its arms appeared, 1800 attack points all together. "When Cube is sent to the grave for the Synchro Summon of a light attribute monster, I can add an Equip Spell card from my deck to my hand."

Yusei wondered at this; what resources did Divine have access to, that he could provide such a powerful decks for his Psychic Duelists, to say nothing of getting them into the satellite and getting one of the many gangs of Satellite to target Martha. "Why does Divine need Ruka? With all the power and resources he has, shouldn't that be enough for him to get what he wants without her?"

"You grew up in poverty Yusei, and so you do not understand power, the power to decide the course of the entire city, the world."

Yusei's eyes narrowed. "I doubt I would ever want to."

Yua adjusted her glasses once more. "Then you will suffer for that; I equip Vylon Sigma with Vylon Component and Vylon Filament." Component was a ring with twin blades perpendicular equipped on one arm, while Filament was a pair of golden curved blades that attached to Vylon Sigma's shoulders. "Component's effect allows me to pierce defense position monsters, while Filament prevents you from activating any spell or traps when my monster attacks. Furthermore, Sigma's own effect, when it attacks and it is the only monster I control, I can choose an equip spell card from my deck and equip it to it. Go forth, Vylon Sigma, and attack with Vylon Extension." Golden cables appeared and connected the rings around Vylon Sigma's arm. "Vylon Extension raises Vylon Sigma's attack power by 200 per level of the monster it battles, so by attacking your One-Shot Cannon, I will finish this duel here and now!"

"Ghost Gardna's effect activates; when another monster I control is attacked, I can change the target to Ghost Gardna." Ghost Gardna interposed itself between Vylon Sigma and One-Shot Cannon. It was torn apart by Vylon Extrension, but Yusei took only 700 points of damage.

"…I end my turn."

"Turn 5, Yusei: 1300 life points, Yua: 2150 life points."

"My turn." Yusei focused, saw what had to be done, and contemplated the options offered by his deck. He drew his card. "I activate One-Shot Cannon's effect and destroy Vylon Sigma for 900 points of damage." As Vylon Sigma crashed to the ground, Vylon Element's rings burned furiously as they brought two more Vylon Cubes, and a Vylon Stella shaped like a star.

"And do not forget, when my Vylon Equip spell cards are destroyed and sent to the grave, I can add an equal number of Vylon Spell cards from my deck to my hand. Surely you have learned something by now?"

"Yes I have; you have burned through much of your deck very quickly, you've already thinned 12 cards out of it, six from just now, and you chose them, meaning the ones left in your deck are ones you do not believe would be as valuable to you in this situation." Yua's eyes were hidden by the light reflected by her glasses. "I summon Junk Synchron and activate its effect to special summon One-Shot Rocket back from the grave, and tune One-Shot Canon to it for a Synchro Summon." Three stars, two rings. "Collect the crumbs and spread them around…Synchro Summon! Come Forth, Gathering Warrior!" A level five monster with zero attack and zero defense, there was little about its bearing that suggested any sort of warrior at all. "When Synchro Summoned, Gathering Warrior allows me to draw one card, and when used as the material for a Synchro Summon, the summoned monster gains the ability to attack every monster my opponent controls. Thus, I tune my level 5 Gathering Warrior to my level 3 Junk Synchron." 3 rings, 5 stars. "Clustering wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Stardust Dragon!" Stardust Dragon roared its ethereal roar, and swept its breath weapon across Yua's monsters, first destroying the Cubes and then Stella. "Now I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 6, Yusei: 1300 life points, Yua: 1250 life points."

"I draw my card…"

"And I activate my trap card, Threatening Roar, preventing you from declaring an attack this turn." The alleyway rumbled, and for an uncertain stretch of time, Yusei and Yua looked one another in the eyes.

"Yusei!" Both Yusei and Yua looked back and saw Jack and Mikage, bruised and with a couple of cuts here and there, but nothing they couldn't handle.

"I suppose you've figured out it was all a set-up Yusei?" Mikage said, breathing hard.

"Yes, and now that you're both here, we can put a stop to all this." Yusei himself winced, the adrenaline gone and the injuries from Yua's psychic attack no longer ignorable.

"So the Rabid Weasels couldn't even function as a proper distraction; fortunately, this possibility was also accounted for." Yua raised her cards high above her head, they had a soft glow about them that made it impossible to tell what specific cards they were. "NOW!"

There was a blinding explosion of light, and waves of it kept rushing out. There was yelling, noise, someone had rushed into the middle of them, Rua and Ruka were screaming, Yusei tried to find his way through the cacophony, but by the time the light was gone and Yusei's eyes had recovered, it was too late; Yua was gone, and so was Ruka. Rua was lying on the ground, looking down, his ponytail had been undone, he'd fought hard to protect his sister. "Rua, we'll get Ruka back, don't worry." He shook his head, still refused to look up. "Rua, look at me." Yusei put his hands on his shoulders.

"No." A higher pitch than Yusei had anticipated. "You don't understand Yusei." The child looked up. "Rua, a big man came, and Rua, he took out our hairbands, made it impossible to tell us apart." Tears were streaming down Ruka's face, and then she grabbed hold of Yusei's chest as she sobbed, and sobbed, and sobbed.


	30. Chapter 30

**The Methods of the Divine**

* * *

><p>"Come in." Rua heard the voice from beyond the doorway, and continued to keep his head low; the longer they thought that he was Ruka, the more time Yusei and the others would have to get Ruka back to safety and begin planning their attack on Divine. Then the doors opened, and Yua and Tsubasa pushed him on in. "Hello Ruka; I apologize, but it was necessary to use such rough measures in order to bring you here. I can assure you though, you will experience no harm so long as you remain under my protection."<p>

"…" Rua kept silent, not sure that he could properly match his sister's pitch. He kept his eyes on his feet, both to keep his face hidden and to avoid looking into Divine's eyes.

"Rua?" That voice…oh no, it was Aki! "Why did you bring Rua here?" Sweat was beading up on his forehead, Rua clambered amidst his own thoughts trying to come up with something, but how could he have expected that Aki would be right there?

"Huh?" The man who'd grabbed him from Ruka had said. "What are you…" The man then grabbed Rua's head and forced him to look up at him. "Damn, I grabbed the wrong one in all the confusion."

Now Rua could see the room clearly, now he could see Aki standing there, and next to her, behind his desk, was Divine, the bastard who'd exploited Aki's pain for his own sick purposes. "Yeah, that's right; all your plans fell apart because of me, what does that tell you about your so called 'Divine' and his brilliant plans?" Rua looked up angrily at the man.

"It's okay Tsubasa, there was a reason why my powers were a last resort on this mission."

"Don't you go blaming yourself Yua, I could have taken the time to make sure I grabbed the right kid."

"As much as it pleases me to see you two both eager to take responsibility, the fact of the matter is that so long as one twin is present, the other will invariably come to us of her own accord." Divine got up from behind his desk as he spoke, walking past Aki; Rua wasn't sure what to make of her expression, was she feeling guilty over hurting Ruka back at the Fortune Cup Tournament, or was she afraid for him now? "Besides which," Divine was now standing right in front of him, only one eye visible, the other covered by a plume of dark-red hair not unlike Aki's, "I believe that you may be able to help us apart from your connection with your sister." He then looked at Yua and Tsubasa. "Thank you for your hard work, I will call upon you again when I need you."

"Yes, Master Divine." They said at the same time, bowed simultaneously, and together they left Divine's office.

"Aki." Divine said. "You've had a few encounters with Rua in the past. Tell me, what do you think of him?"

"He's just an ordinary kid." Aki spoke forcefully. "All he wants is to be able to help his sister however he can."

"Yes, that is the impression I've gotten of him as well." Divine walked over to Aki, put his hands on her shoulders. "I would like to talk to Rua by myself Aki. I trust you understand?"

"Of course, Master Divine." She bowed just the same as Yua and Tsubasa had, and she left the office, her eyes lingering on the two of them only a moment, then the door was closed behind her.

Rua took a deep breath, steadied himself. "Listen Divine, I don't care what you have planned, but it's not going to work on me; I heard all about what you did to Aki and her mother, so there's no way you're going to get me on your side. Yusei and Ruka and Jack, they're going to free Aki from your control, show her the truth and then you'll be sorry!"

"And what about you?" Divine was now casually leaning against his desk, arms down at his sides.

"Huh?"

"If you really believe Senator Ikeda's story, then what are you going to do to help free Aki from my control?"

"Wha-what are you talking about?" Rua was vexed by how out of character Divine was being; when plucky-sidekick was trapped alone with the villain, the villain always dropped all pretense and gloated about their evil plan.

"You shouldn't dismiss your own capabilities like that Rua." His eyes shot wide open, his mouth became dry; no, Divine couldn't have, it couldn't be that easy for him to read someone's mind. "It's not a matter of your mind, it's a matter of your face; you are very much someone who wears their heart on their sleeve Rua, and our world will use that against you."

"Grr, look, cut the crap; we both know what you did, so either admit or deny it, just…just stop dancing around it!"

"I have a better idea Rua." Divine tapped a button on his desk, and a hole opened up in the ground before Rua, and from that hole a stand arose, with a Duel-Disc on it. "I propose we have a duel, and if you are victorious, you will be free to leave and reunite with your sister. If I am victorious, you will stay and study directly under me."

"Bull. Like hell you would let me out even if I did win." Rua crossed his arms over his chest.

Divine smiled, got behind his desk. He pressed a few buttons, and spoke into a microphone. "Attention everyone; if upon leaving my office Rua says he wishes to leave, you are to facilitate him in this, and ensuring his safe return to his home that he will be able to see his sister once more." Divine then turned the PA system off. "Well?"

Once again, Rua felt that Divine was acting all wrong; was there some sort of code hidden in what he told everyone, some sort of trigger phrase? Rua shook his head, decided it didn't matter, if Divine wanted a duel, he'd give him one that he'd never forget. "You're on!" Rua shouted as he put on the duel-disc before him.

"Very good." Divine got out of his chair, duel-disc already around his arm. "Since I'm sure you would like the first attack, I will go ahead and take the first turn." Divine drew his cards. "I will start by summoning Mind Protector in defense position." A purple and golden robotic construct appeared in front of Divine with huge hands and large flat fingers raised up before it. "That will be all."

"Turn 2, Rua: 4000 life points, Divine: 4000 life points."

"Ha! Not even a single spell or trap card; you underestimate me at your own peril." Rua drew his cards, glanced at Divine's monster, saw that it possessed 2200 defense points. "You're not even going to have time to spin your head by the time my turn is over."

"Now there's the confidence I knew you had in you." Divine smiled. "Show me your strategy, Rua."

"Oh, you'll see it all right, and it'll leave you blind! Check it out, I start by activating The Piece at the Bottom; by discarding a Deformer monster in my hand, I can take a Deformer Monster in my deck and put it on top, like so. Next, I activate Deformer Repair Unit and discard a Deformer monster from my hand to special summon the Deformer I discarded with my last card, Deformer Mobaphon! Oh, but I'm not done yet, I activate Mobaphon's effect." The numbers on Mobaphon's chest lit up one after another until they stopped on one. "Hah, that's all I need, because this lets me special summon the Deformer monster I put on top of my deck, Deformer Boarden! Finally, I'll go ahead and use my normal summon to bring out Deformer Radion."

"Three summons in one turn, that's quite good."

"You don't even know a third of it! See, when Radion's in attack position, all of my Deformers gain 800 attack points, and with Boarden in attack position as well, all of my monsters get to attack you directly! So all together, that means Mobaphon will be attacking for 900 damage, Boarden will be attacking for 1300 damage, and Radion will attack for 1800 damage."

"That adds up to 4000 points of damage, enough for a One Turn Kill."

"Not just a One Turn Kill, a First Turn Kill!" Rua started wagging his finger at Divine. "If you'd like, I'll let you surrender now instead of going through with letting my monsters wail on you directly, your poor defense position monster unable to do anything at all."

Divine shook his head. "No Rua, I want to experience your power for myself."

"Hah, suit yourself! Deformers, attack directly!"

Nothing happened. Rua stared at his stationary monsters. Then he looked up, and saw the glow coming off of Mind Protector's hands, and how his monsters eyes had the same color glow. "You should have paid more attention to my monster's effect; Mind Protector prevents any non-psychic monster with 2000 attack points or less from attacking."

"No way!" His whole plan, ruined before it even got off the ground. "That's fine, I'm not completely spent, I'll set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 3, Rua: 4000 life points, Divine: 4000 life points."

"Now, during my standby phase, I must pay 500 life points to keep Mind Protector on the field." Divine spread his arms, and a sickly green glow flowed from him to his monster, reducing his life points accordingly.

"And now I'll show you that you're not the only one who can block attacks! I activate my Permanent Trap Card, Deformer Bind!" An electric net appeared in front of Rua's monsters. "Now any level four or higher monsters of yours can't attack or change their battle position." Rua raised his fist towards Divine.

"Next," Divine said as though he hadn't been interrupted, "I summon Psi-Blocker." A pale-silver humanoid robot appeared, eyes glowing the same green that had briefly surrounded Divine. "Once per turn, Psi-Blocker allows me to declare 1 card name, and cards of that name can't have their effects activated until the end of my opponent's next turn. I of course choose Deformer Bind." The electric net vanished under Psi-Blocker's gaze. It calmly walked up to Deformer Mobaphon, and fired green lasers at it until there was nothing but a pile of junk left; some of the lasers struck Rua in the chest, making him fall to his knees from the pain of 1100 points of damage.

"If Ruka could face Aki, then I can handle the likes of you." Rua gripped at his side.

"Yes, you've faced much greater pain than this, even in your young life." Rua gasped. "Unfortunately, your impulsiveness and impatience leads to you making the same mistakes over and over again, and so you begin to think yourself a burden to the one who matters most to you."

"Sh…It's not like you know me, so keep it to yourself!" Rua got back to his feet, his posture defiant.

"You're right, I apologize; I've not earned that right, not like Yusei did." He bowed, one arm across his chest.

"That's right." Rua felt his legs give out for a moment, but he recovered.

"Then I shall end my turn."

"Turn 4, Rua: 2900 life points, Divine: 3500 life points."

Rua drew his card with more force than was called for. "I switch Deformer Boarden and Radion to defense position, and then I summon Deformer Clocken in Defense position." Deformer Clocken was a humanoid robotic version of an electronic stop watch with 1100 defense points. "Now Boarden's effect is to keep other Deformer monsters I control from being destroyed by battle, Radion gives my monsters an additional 1000 defense points, and Clocken, I get to add a Deformer Counter to it once per turn, and I can sacrifice it to inflict 1000 points of damage per Deformer Counter on it." Deformer Clocken beeped loudly as the number one appeared on its chest.

"I see, I can't get to Clocken until I've taken care of Boarden, and Boarden has 2800 defense points now. Furthermore, since I must spend 500 life points on my standby phase to keep Mind Protector around, you at most need only two more turns to defeat me without launching a single attack. Impressive Rua, you are truly determined to win."

"Of course I am!"

"But of course, even if you don't win, you know that Yusei will still be there to give Ruka the support she needs."

"S-so? That doesn't mean I'm…"

"Unnecessary?"

"Just take your turn!"

"Turn 5, Rua: 2900 life points, Divine: 3500 life points."

"As you wish. I of course start by paying 500 life points in accordance with Mind Protector's effect, I activate Psi-Blocker's effect to negate Deformer Bind's effect, and then I sacrifice both of my monsters to summon Master Gig from my hand." A massive, egg-shaped metallic structure appeared, a human dwarfed by the structure out the top, spikes and other fixtures jutting out of the 2600 attack power abomination. "Now, once per turn, I can pay 1000 life points to activate Master Gig's effect and destroy a number of monsters you control equal to the number of Psychic monsters I control." Bolts of energy arced around Master Gig's frame, and then shot out at Deformer Boarden, frying it to a crisp. "And with that, I may now attack Deformer Clocken." A coruscating beam of green light destroyed Deformer Clocken. "With that, I end my turn."

"Turn 6, Rua: 2900 life points, Divine: 2000 life points."

"Wait a second." Rua's face drew tight. "You're screwing around; all you've done this whole duel is normal summons, you haven't played a single spell or set a single trap."

"Of course Rua; if I were to rush things, I wouldn't be able to reach you, and help you achieve your true power."

"My true power?" Rua's face relaxed.

"Yes; it is buried deep, deep within your soul, but I have every certainty that it is there, a power as invaluable as that of your sister's."

"Do, do you mean I might be a Signer?"

"It's possible; you might also be an unusually strong Psychic Duelist who's yet to realize their potential. Either way, I can help you realize the truth."

Rua had a vision, seeing himself standing at Ruka's side, no, in front of her, her admiring eyes on his back…"NO!" Rua shouted. "I'm past that, I don't need your lies or any of that, I know what I can do to help Ruka and I'm proud to be able to do that much!" Rua drew his card. "I now equip Deformer Radion with Deformer Retro Engine; with this, if you destroy Radion, you'll take damage equal to Deformer Radion's original attack power, so you won't get another chance to use Master Gig's effect, and with Deformer Bind on the field, you can't attack with Master Gig until you get rid of Deformer Radion, who has 1900 defense points. I end my turn." Rua flared his nostrils, disbelieving that he could have even contemplated believing Divine's drivel.

"Turn 7, Rua: 2900 life points, Divine: 2000 life points."

"Don't worry Rua, I've seen countless young people like you lash out in just that manner, choosing self-destruction over my own help. I am patient though, and I will reach you, I promise Rua." Divine drew his card. "I now equip Master Gig with Telekinetic Charging Cell, allowing me to make use of his effect without paying life points." Energy rushed across Master Gig's frame, and then crashed upon Deformer Radion; the rusted engine attached to Radion exploded, and the force of that explosion fell entirely upon Divine, who brought his arm across his face as though to protect himself against the illusory attack.

Then the Deformer Bind fell. Master Gig attacked directly, the focused beam of psychic energy so intense that it slammed Rua against the wall, and for a moment he'd thought that every bone in his body had been broken, his arms and legs fractured while his ribs crumpled into his lungs. But then he fell back to the ground, and while it did hurt, his nerves would not stop firing off, everything was somehow intact. "You, bastard."

"Rua, I also took damage in that, I've suffered in this duel just as you have, I would not have the right to reach out to you if I did not experience your pain."

"Turn 8, Rua: 300 life points, Divine: 1000 life points."

"You haven't! You may have taken damage, but I'm the one who's been injured by your stupid Psycic Dueling." Rua wanted to scream, but there just wasn't enough air in his lungs, he couldn't waste any of it on that, the bastard right in front of him, the one who'd been using Aki, who'd tried to kidnap his sister, who lied as easily as he breathed…He very nearly ripped his card in half as he drew it from his deck. "I play Deformer Crisis! I can destroy one Deformer Card I control to draw two cards!" The now non-functional Deformer Bind exploded, and Rua claimed two more cards from his deck with the same fury as the original draw. "I summon Deformer Scopen in attack position and activate its effect to special summon the level 4 Deformer Radiocasseten from my hand. With this, I send both of my monsters to the grave for a Synchro Summon!" 3 rings, 4 stars. "Docking strength with courage to protect the world's peace! Synchro Summon! Envoy of love and justice, Power Tool Dragon!"

"Love and justice…" Divine sighed with a small smile on his face as he looked upon Rua's enraged monster. "Those are very difficult things to hold onto in this city; so many find it so much easier to close themselves off, to give up and let someone else handle their responsibilities."

Images of Yusei and Ruka flashed in Rua's mind, and despite his best efforts, he couldn't make them go away. "I activate Power Tool Dragon's effect." He grabbed three Equip Spell cards from his deck. "Pick one, now!"

"The middle one."

"Hah! That means now I get Double Tool C&D to equip to Power Tool Dragon!" Drill and buzz saw were set in place on Power Tool Dragon's arms. "Now during my turn, Power Tool Dragon will gain 1000 attack points, bringing it to 3300!" With one punch Power Tool Dragon destroyed Master Gig, but it kept destroying the remains, tearing away at the hulk of metal to reveal the shriveled humanoid figure within, which disintegrated the moment Power Tool Dragon slashed with its buzz saw.

"There it is…" Divine said, gripping his chest. "There's the power that I knew you had, the power that you alone possessed." Divine then pulled his arm away from his chest, revealing the cut in his shirt and the shallow wound beneath it. Rua just stared at the injury he'd just inflicted.

"I…I did that?"

"Yes, you did; you have power Rua, just like Aki's, like mine, like everyone else here, and if you develop that power, nurture it, control it, you'll be able to do more than just cheer for your sister; you will be able to fight alongside her, even protect when all the world has turned against her, has exhausted her strength." Images appeared in Rua's mind, images of angered crowds, furious mobs, gathered against Ruka and Aki, and he stood between them all, and the mobs stood back.

"I could do that…" Rua muttered to himself, those thoughts digging their way deeper and deeper into his subconscious.

"Turn 9, Rua: 300 life points, Divine: 300 life points."

"Yes you can Rua, and I can help you, I want to help, because we have to do what we can to help each other in this cruel world that we live in."

"I can be strong, after all." He'd contented himself with his weakness, believed that even with that weakness there were still things that only he could do, things that Yusei couldn't do.

"Now, try to get past me Rua, and show me how far your strength can go; I summon Grapple Blocker in defense position, and activate its effect to prevent your Power Tool Dragon from attacking or being sacrificed so long as Grapple Blocker is on the field." A yellow-skinned humanoid figure with large tentacles coming out of its back appeared, and it used those tentacles to hold Power Tool Dragon in place. "Next, I activate Thoughts of Life, allowing me to recover 500 life points per Psychic Type monster I control, allowing me to pay the 500 life point cost for Grapple Blocker in the end phase to keep it on the field. Finally, I set one card to end my turn."

"Turn 10, Rua: 300 life points, Divine: 300 life points."

"You played more than one card this turn." Rua saw it now.

"You made that necessary Rua." He didn't have to be weak.

"Yeah, I did." He could be strong, just like Ruka, like Aki, like Yusei, Yusei couldn't hold him back. "And I'm going to keep it that way!" Rua drew his card. "I activate Power Tool Dragon's effect once again." He would seize his power, and he would use it.

"The one to the right." Divine chose the Axe of Despair for him.

"I summon Deformer Staplen and equip it with Axe of Despair, raising its attack power to 2400, enough to get past Grapple Blocker's 2000 defense power and free Power Tool Dragon." Deformer Staplen took hold of the axe, the grimacing face on the weapon glaring at the enemy. Rua's monster chopped away the tentacles, the chopped into Grapple Blocker's chest.

"Excellent, Rua, but now you've activated my trap card, Psi-Curse; when my Psychic monster is destroyed by battle and sent to the grave, I can destroy your monster and inflict damage equal to the level of my destroyed monster times 300." Ethereal tentacles punched through Deformer Staplen and slammed into Rua, bringing his life points to zero. "Don't worry, you did really well Rua."

"Thanks, Divine." Rua struggled to get back to his feet, Divine extended his hand. Rua accepted. "I guess it's just as well I'm going to be staying, I still have a whole lot more to learn."

"So do all who come to me, and I will always be here to teach you." Divine patted Rua on the head. "Now run along, so I can plan your curriculum."

"Right!" Rua turned and ran out the door.

"Rua." Aki had been standing just outside Divine's door. "Are you okay?"

"Of course!" Rua beamed up at Aki. "I'm not that weak Aki." She smiled back at him.


	31. Chapter 31

**Renewing the Spirit**

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><p>"Were you ever loyal to Neo Domino City, Officer Kamui?" Security Director Rex Godwin said as he looked across from his desk. "Did you become dissatisfied with your work, or were you a double-agent from the start?"<p>

Officer Nagisa stood behind Kamui, stone-faced. "Answer Director Godwin, Kamui."

"Director…tch, why don't we call you by your real title, Dictator?" Kamui had a twisted smile on his face, incongruous to how he was bound to his seat, arms and legs confined to his sides. "That's right, we all know the senate only ever rubberstamps the decisions that you've made for them."

"Officer Kamui, you greatly overestimate my capabilities, and the time available to me. Managing Neo-Domino City is orders of magnitude far more complicated than handling a cult of personality like the Arcadia Movement. More to the point, I have no desire to micro-manage issues like traffic laws or food standards; I am able to trust the senate with handling the day-to-day matters necessary for the safe running of our Utopia, and it is because of this that I can betrayed by one such as you."

"That's rich, trying to pass yourself off as some naïve chump? Like you just reluctantly accepted power but would rather just work a farm somewhere out in the wasteland like some modern day Cincinnatus?" Kamui smirked. "Yeah, bet you didn't expect me to know a reference like that."

"I hadn't given the matter a moment's consideration." Rex Godwin stood up. "I surmise that you were always Divine's man." He walked around and stood in front of his desk. "Officer Nagisa, as Kamui's former partner, what punishment do you recommend for him."

"I think he would make a fine addition to the Detention Facility, and then he should be made to operate among the gangs of the Satellite." Nagisa's gaze cut into the back of Kamui's neck.

"That is indeed what the law of Neo Domino City would call for, and no doubt what the randomly assigned judge would assign our Kamui." As he spoke, he walked up to Kamui. "Officer Nagisa, I thank you for your time; you may return to your regular duties."

"Sir?" Nagisa's expression changed, showed doubt.

"I must simply question Officer Kamui on sensitive details; should it become necessary, you will be provided clearance on that information."

"Thank you, Director Godwin." Nagisa paused, then turned and left, leaving Kamui alone with Godwin.

"Heh, so you plan on torturing me for information right?" Kamui grinned. "It won't work."

"We both know that; the purpose of torture has always been to have the captive say what the captor wishes." Rex Godwin flexed the fingers of his artificial arm. "And I am too busy to play such ineffectual games."

"So what are you-grk!" Rex Godwin reached out and took Kamui's throat in his artificial hand. Kamui sputtered, his eyes bulged and his face turned red. "W…why?" He choked out in a small voice.

Rex had no reason to explain to the dying man; Divine was a man whose plans were as wheels-within-wheels, always another layer. There was no doubt a contingency for when Kamui was caught, some way for Divine to continue using him to advance his own purposes. Even his death could be dangerous, if conducted sloppily.

Rex released Kamui's body, did not bother to watch the corpse slump in its seat as he returned to his desk. "Vice-Director Jaeger, could you please send someone up to remove the trash from my office?"

"Certainly." Came the reply from the other side; with that out of the way, Rex Godwin was free to fabricate documentation concerning Kamui's sentence in the Detention Center before determining what information from his contact in Arcadia Movement he could plausibly disseminate to Officer Nagisa, ensuring that she would have no lingering doubts on the matter of Kamui's fate.

* * *

><p>Ruka sat alone in her room, staring at all the drawings she'd made, drawings of Ancient Fairy Dragon, of the other monsters in her deck, all in the Ancient Forest together. There was even a drawing of her riding on Sunlight Unicorn's back, while Rua was riding Jack's D-Wheel. "Rua…" She saw it every time she closed her eyes, that moment when the light blinded everyone, and Rua pulled out her hairbands and his, took her place just as someone ran in and grabbed him, was trying to grab her.<p>

"Turn the twins over to me…truthfully, I only need Ruka, but she will be much easier to manage if she is not separated from her twin brother." That's what that woman, Yua, had said. She was a Psychic Duelist, she and her companion along with Officer Kamui had been sent with them into the Satellite so that they could capture her. Her power…

"I wish I'd never won that duel." The Ancient Fairy Dragon appeared and surrounded Ruka, but was silent. She just showed Ruka the coma she'd fallen into following that duel, saw how Rua stayed at her side for a whole month until she woke back up. "I thought you were supposed to help me defeat Aki, I thought that was my mission…did I make it all up?" Ruka looked up into Ancient Fairy Dragon's eyes. "Please, tell me."

"Ruka." She heard a knock at the door. "Ruka, can I come in?" It was Mikage, Jack's former assistant. "You need to eat your lunch at least." Ruka curled up to compress her cramped stomach. "Please Ruka, we need to talk."

"Why do you care?" Ruka wanted it to be a snap, but she couldn't even reach petulant.

"Because I think we have more in common than you realize." Ruka remained silent. "Did you know that Rua talked about you, in the letters he'd sent to Jack?"

"He did?" Ruka got up and opened the door, she saw Mikage standing with a tray of Salmon Macceroni; she could tell that Yusei had made it, it had all the salmon collected in the middle just the way she liked it. Ruka saw Yusei and Jack out in the living room, so she closed the door behind Mikage. The two then sat down on Ruka's bed.

"Here you go." Mikage handed the tray over to Ruka.

"Thank you." The moment she smelled it, really smelled it, the pain of hunger became acute. She ate all of it in short order, and only afterwards aware of how much she'd gotten on her face.

"Here." Mikage handed Ruka a napkin. She accepted, and wiped her face off. The two sat silently together for a while as the food settled in Ruka's stomach. "You were very brave at the Fortune Cup tournament."

"I guess."

"I mean it; Rua talked about it in his letters a lot, how no matter who you dueled, you never showed any fear, like you knew how you were going to win from the start." Mikage leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. "It's not surprising, how Rua and Yusei defended you in your duel against Aki; it makes me wonder why I couldn't do the same for Jack."

They fell silent again, what could Ruka possibly say in response? What did she know about Mikage, about her relationship with Jack, about anything at all? If she had a deck, she could sense the feelings in it, but without that…

"Here." Mikage said it again, and when Ruka looked up, she saw that Mikage was handing her a card. "This was something your brother told Jaeger all about, that you could sense the feelings in people's cards; I'm not a duelist myself, but Jack gave this card to me a year ago, said that he thought it reflected me very well. I'd like to hear your opinion."

"Trust Guardian." Ruka studied the image on the card, the small helmeted angel and the way it had its hand out, fingers spread out. Ruka had to focus, had to bring out the invisible spirit of the Ancient Fairy Dragon, but she could sense the feelings that had gathered in that card, that had seeped into it from Mikage's heart.

"Jack's very lucky to have someone like you." Ruka felt the tears on her cheeks. "You're much stronger than you realize, Ms. Sagiri."

"Please, just call me Mikage; you're one of the Signers, you have power that I'll never know."

"But I couldn't use that power, not when I had to; it was my mission, the reason I had this power, and I failed…"

"So did Yusei and Jack, but now we all know; now we know the truth about what happened in Aki's past, and if Aki had been defeated at the tournament, Godwin would have had her arrested and dealt with immediately…so in a way, it's for the best that we didn't win at the tournament, now we can really help Aki, and put a stop to all of this."

"Do you really think so, Mikage?" Could it really be possible? Had she been too quick to assume that she had to defeat Aki at the tournament? Might she have hoped to have ended her mission as soon as possible, and that had colored her vision? Was she so accustomed to victory, that she couldn't see the possibilities that lied in defeat? "That makes sense." Aki had won the tournament, won all her duels, and was still trapped; they had lost, and they'd found new cause, new ground, new strength, new hope. "Thank you Mikage, you've really helped." Ruka returned Trust Guardian to Mikage. "I hope you'll keep on believing in your strength too."

"You're welcome Ruka, and I hope the same thing too." Mikage stood up, and ruka did the same. They emerged from Ruka's room, Yusei and Jack stood up.

"Mikage." Jack said, strain in his voice still present every time he addressed Mikage.

"Jack." Her voice was easier, which had a visible effect on Jack.

"Yusei." Ruka walked up to him, swallowed and looked up. "I want to duel you." Jack and Mikage's eyes widened, but Yusei…

"Then we should go out on the balcony." He understood her, that she had to prove to herself that her renewed spirit was real, and that if worse came to worst, she could pick herself back up again; only then could she trust herself to be able to help rescue Rua, and Aki, and everyone else who was being exploited by Divine.

They now stood in position, their Duel Discs armed. "Yusei, you've done so much for me and Rua; I'm going to show you just how much you've helped to grow in this duel."

"I'm looking forward to seeing your strength for myself, Ruka." Yusei drew his cards, took the first turn. "I summon The Calculator in defense position, and set one card to end my turn."

"Turn 2, Ruka: 4000 life points, Yusei: 4000 life points."

"Okay." Ruka drew her card, felt the message it had for her. "I summon Wise Rabbit in defense position." A large grey rabbit appeared next to a briar patch, a cunning gleam in its eyes. "Next, I equip it with Ribbon of Rebirth." A velvet blue ribbon with strings of text appeared around Wise Rabbit's neck. "Finally, I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 3, Ruka: 4000 life points, Yusei: 4000 life points."

Ruka watched Yusei look at the card he drew, examine the cards she had on the field; now that she thought about it, they both had very similar dueling styles, both cautious and careful, fielding weak monsters with powerful effects. "I summon Speed Warrior to the field, and switch The Calculator to attack position." He would attack, he had to take this chance and clear away her cards. "The Calculator, attack Wise Rabbit." Yusei's monster gathered electricity in its hands and shot it at Wise Rabbit, driving it into the briar patch next to it.

"Wise Rabbit's effect." Wise Rabbit dug into the burrow hidden within the briar patch. "When destroyed in battle and sent to the grave, I can choose a spell card in my deck, and put it on top of my deck." Her future would be hers, she would see it through. "Furthermore, Ribbon of Rebirth's effect activates." As Wise Rabbit disappeared, the ribbon around its neck got caught on the briar patch. "When the equipped monster is destroyed by battle and sent to the grave, I can special summon that monster back to the field during the end phase."

"But for now, all you have is your face-down card; Speed Warrior, activate your effect and attack!" Speed Warrior's attack power doubled to 1800, it moved into position to strike…

"I activate my trap card, Draining Shield." Speed Warrior's kick was blocked, the force absorbed and changed into energy for Ruka's use.

Yusei smiled. "I end my turn." With that, the Ribbon of Rebirth glowed and transformed into the Wise Rabbit.

"Turn 4, Ruka: 5800 life points, Yusei: 4000 life points."

Ruka drew her card, the one she'd chosen for herself. "I activate the Field Spell Card, Ancient Forest." The balcony garden grew, and grew, flowers became trees, and the pool became a placid lake. "All monsters must now be in attack position." Wise Rabbit got up in its haunches, made boxing motions with its fore-paws. "Then I summon Clever Monkey." An orange-furred monkey brachiated down from the branches of the tree right next to Ruka. It grinned fiercely, eager to fight. "I end my turn."

"Turn 5, Ruka: 5800 life points, Yusei: 4000 life points."

"I summon Road Synchron, and tune my Calculator and Speed Warrior to it." Yusei remembered Ancient Forest's effect, he couldn't attack recklessly without destroying his own monsters. "Gathering hopes will evoke a new horizon." Four rings, four stars. "Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Dash onward, Road Warrior!" Yusei's golden warrior appeared in a flash of light, clashing against the Ancient Forest around it. "I now activate Road Warrior's effect, and special summon Quillbolt Hedgehog from my deck to attack your Clever Monkey."

Yusei's monster bumrushed Ruka's, and being that Clever Monkey had zero attack points, it didn't last even a moment. "Clever Monkey's effect activates, any battle damage I would take this turn is changed into life points I gain." The energy washed over Ruka's body, renewing her further. Just a little more and she would be able to enact her strategy. "Furthermore, Ancient Forest's effect activates to destroy Quillbolt Hedgehog." Still, Ruka knew all Yusei had to do was summon a Tuner Monster and he would be able get his monster back right away, that's why he attacked, and by using such a low-attack monster, he kept Ruka from gaining too much from Clever Monkey's effect.

"I set one card, and end my turn."

"Turn 6, Ruka: 6600 life points, Yusei: 4000 life points."

That card Yusei'd set, it was likely something to either help him get another Tuner Monster into his hand, or bring a monster from his grave to help generate another Synchro Summon. "My turn." Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do to stop that either way, but she could prepare for afterwards. "I summon Swimming Kelpie and activate its effect, removing her from play to return Ribbon of Rebirth to my hand during my next standby phase." The water of the lake splashed as the Swimming Kelpie jumped about before vanishing. "I end my turn."

"Turn 7, Ruka: 6600 life points, Yusei: 4000 life points."

"I activate Road Warrior's effect and special summon Nitro Synchron from my deck; then I activate Quillbolt Hedgehog's effect and special summon itself from the grave, followed by using Graceful Revival to bring back Speed Warrior, and then I summon Tuning Supporter from my hand." With that, Yusei now had five monsters on the field, and Ruka knew exactly what Yusei was about to summon. Two rings, six stars. "Clustering wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Stardust Dragon!" Yusei's Signer Dragon roared, the sound strangely comforting to Ruka's ears. "Tuning Supporter's effect allows me to draw one card." Yusei glanced at it. "Stardust Dragon, attack Wise Rabbit." Yusei's dragon unleashed its breath weapon, burning both Wise Rabbit and the briar patch for 2000 points of damage, activating Wise Rabbit's effect once more.

"Since a Beast-type monster was just destroyed and sent to the grave, I now pay 1000 life points to special summon Green Baboon Defender of the Forest from my hand." There was a thunderous crash as Ruka's monster landed on the ground before her.

"Road Warrior, attack and destroy Green Baboon." Yes, Yusei could do that now, it was safe for him to attack and inflict 400 points of damage to her.

The battle phase ended, the wind blew, expressing Ancient Forest's fury. Stardust Dragon shined, spread its wings out, and vanished with the forest, sacrificing itself to save Road Warrior. Yusei set the card he drew, and with the end of his turn Stardust Dragon returned, ready to lay its life down again.

"Turn 8, Ruka: 3200 life points, Yusei: 4000."

"My turn." Ruka drew the card she'd chosen with Wise Rabbit's effect, the card she'd chosen knowing that Swimming Kelpie was about to deliver Ribbon of Rebirth to her and Ancient Forest would be destroyed. "I activate Spirit Illusion and remove a Field Spell Card in my grave from play and pay 1000 life points to draw three cards." Ruka examined her new hand. "I summon Playful Opossum and activate its effect to destroy itself and special summon itself back during my next standby phase." Stardust Dragon reacted, as Ruka knew it would have to; even so, Playful Opossum was destroyed, and that was enough. "I now pay 1000 life points and special summon Green Baboon back from the grave." Ruka's monster clawed its way up from under the dirt, ready to battle again. "Now I set two cards and activate Reborn Spring to end my turn." Stardust Dragon returned, as it always would, and with it came the verdant spring, flowers in full bloom as the sun shined through a thinly clouded sky.

"Turn 9, Ruka: 1200 life points, Yusei: 4000 life points."

Yusei paused; Ruka was certain of it, he was wondering why she hadn't equipped Green Baboon with Ribbon of Rebirth, why she'd summoned it in attack position. He studied his hand, the card he'd just drawn. "I activate Road Warrior's effect, and special summon One-Shot Booster from my deck to the field." Yes, that was just the move Ruka had expected, Yusei would take this chance. "Road Warrior, attack Green Baboon." He had to give up Road Warrior now, in order to clear the path for Stardust Dragon.

"I activate my trap card, Life Contrast; when my life points are lower than yours, I increase Green Baboon's attack power by the difference that difference." Green Baboon surged with power, and with 5400 attack points it was able to club Road Warrior into a pile of scrap, which faded away moments later. "Since I just did Battle Damage, Reborn Spring's effect activates and lets me return a monster from my grave to my hand." She chose Clever Monkey, and watched Yusei sacrifice One-Shot Booster to destroy Green Baboon. "And now, since you destroyed my monster with an effect while I controlled a Field Spell Card, I can now activate my trap card, True Vision." All faded for a moment, leaving Yusei and Ruka standing in a white void. "I can now special summon a Synchro Monster of equal level to the monster that was just destroyed, this summon counting as a Synchro Summon."

Seven stars of light surrounded Ruka. "The holy light of protection, shine now and become eternal life! Synchro Summon! A Regal Birth, Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Ruka's Signer Dragon manifested around her, wings spread out protectively before her to block Stardust Dragon's advance.

Yusei's smile made Ruka feel warm all over. "I end my turn, Ruka."

"Turn 10, Ruka: 1200 life points, Yusei: 1600 life points."

"My turn." Ruka drew her card, she was prepared now. "I summon Clever Monkey in attack position, and then I activate Ancient Fairy Dragon's effect to special summon Fairy Archer, which I equip with Ribbon of Rebirth." Ancient Fairy Dragon was flanked on either side, one monster ready to take battle damage and transform it into life points for Ruka, one monster ready to strike Yusei directly. "I now activate Fairy Archer's effect, and since I control two light attribute monsters, I inflict 800 points of damage to you Yusei." Ancient Fairy Dragon gave its light to Fairy Archer, and she fired it right past Stardust Dragon and into Yusei. "I end my turn Yusei."

"Turn 11, Ruka: 1200 life points, Yusei: 800 life points."

What would Yusei do? Destroying Fairy Archer wouldn't do any good, it would just come back at the end of the turn, Ancient Fairy Dragon's defense was too high for Stardust, and Clever Monkey would reverse any damage in the meantime. "My turn." Ruka knew Yusei though, he wouldn't give up, he would find a way. "I summon Change Synchron, and then activate Second Summon to normal summon Level Warrior from my hand at level 3." One ring surrounded three stars, and Yusei Synchro Summoned Armory Arm. "When Change Synchron is sent to the grave for a Synchro Summon, I can switch the battle position of a monster you control." Clever Monkey covered its eyes, unable to see Stardust Dragon attacking Ancient Fairy Dragon.

"And with Armory Arm's effect…" Armory Arm equipped itself onto Stardust Dragon, so that when it attacked and destroyed Ancient Fairy Dragon, it would inflict 2100 points of damage by itself; with no battle damage to reverse, Clever Monkey could do nothing, and Ruka lost.

"How are you feeling Ruka?" Yusei walked up to her.

Ruka examined herself, breathed in, and breathed out. "I feel fine." She didn't faint, she didn't collapse, she wasn't drained."

"I'm very glad Ruka." They walked back into the apartment.

"Everything's ready then?" Jack said. Yusei and Ruka nodded.

Mikage took out her phone. "I will contact Director Godwin and let him know we can begin the attack on the Arcadia Movement Headquarters."


	32. Chapter 32

**The Blade Is Sharpened**

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><p>"Nice." Rua studied himself in the mirror, liking how powerful his new Arcadia Movement outfit made him look; royal-blue coat, dark-green shirt, and grey slacks, and topping everything off, a golden circlet with a red gemstone right where his 'third eye' was, according to Divine. "Bang!" Rua made a gun with his hand and pointed off to the side; nothing happened of course, but once he was dueling, once he started focusing his power through the circlet on his head…"I'm so cool!"<p>

"You've certainly made incredible progress since you started studying with Aki and Akira." Rua turned to look at Divine who was leaning back against the wall with his arms across his waist. "But you and Akira have a long ways to go yet."

Rua nodded in assent; ever since that day Divine had had him grouped together with Aki and Akira, telling them that their power set them apart even among the Psychic Duelists of the Arcadia Movement, that once all three of them were fully trained they would at last begin their attack on the City, make them pay for everything they had done. Rua grinned at the thought of showing that clown Jaeger what he could do now, wiping that smirk off his face just for starters. "I'll do whatever you ask of me Divine." Rua thumped his chest a bit.

"That enthusiasm of yours is your greatest strength Rua, and I think it's time that you put that to use against one of your fellow Psychic Duelists." Divine then activated a Solid Vision projector, revealing Rua's chosen opponent.

"That's…Shino, right?" Rua studied the purple-clad woman, such long fingers she had, but those eyes, they were nothing like Aki's, they inspired no sympathy in him at all.

"Yes, she'd helped Akira to progress a great deal some time before you came to me, and now she will do the same with you."

"You got it Divine, I'll go grab my Duel Disc and challenge her right away."

"Hold on a second Rua." Divine took hold of his shoulder. "Before you begin this duel, I have an idea that will make it more fun."

"Lay it on me."

* * *

><p>"All right Shino." Rua said to his opponent as she stood at the opposite end of the room, all the other members of the Arcadia Movement gathered on the sides to watch, Aki and Akira first and foremost in his view. "You're really lucky, 'cause in this duel, I'm not going to use my Ace Card, Power Tool Dragon, and just to make sure you have nothing to worry about…" Rua removed the card from his deck and tossed it to Aki, just the way Jack would throw his cards. "There, now you don't have to worry so much about how much you're going to lose."<p>

Shino's nostrils flared, she clenched her fist. "You have clearly allowed your personal tutelage under Divine to go to your swollen head." She armed her duel disc. "I will show you just how counter-productive such conduct is for Divine's cause."

"Sorry Shino, but I'm taking the first turn, so you're just going to have to wait." Rua drew his cards. "And appropriately enough, we're starting in my world, Deformer Field." Rua activated his Field Spell Card, and beneath their feet a giant map appeared, depicting a world very unlike the one they lived in, and scattered about on that map were various Deformers in their defense state. "Next, I summon Deformer Lighton." A large blue flashlight rolled over on the Deformer Field until it was right in front of Rua, at which point it floated up in the air. "Then I set one card, and end my turn."

"Turn 2, Rua: 4000 life points, Shino: 4000 life points."

"And now I will demonstrate that toys like that will not suffice." Shino drew her card. "First, I summon Karakuri Komachi mdl 224 Ninishi in defense position." A large, mechanical puppet made of bamboo appeared, dressed in a fine lime-green kimono and three bright green eyes over the slit that served as its mouth. "When Ninishi is on the field, I can once per turn summon an additional Karakuri Monster." Ninishi began a rigid dance, an imitation of the sort a Geisha might have performed. "I now summon Karakuri Bushi mdl 6318 Muzanichiha, also in defense position." Another mechanical puppet appeared with metal feat, a straw-hat covering its head, and a sword drawn and ready, held by thick powerful arms lined with gears and pullies. "Finally, since I control two Karakuri monsters in defense, I activate Karakuri Advance to special summon Karakuri Watchdog mdl 313 Saizan from my deck in defense position." A mechanical dog puppet trotted out, cannons on its back ready to fire. "And now I activate Karakuri Bombardment, switching all my defense position Karakuri monsters to attack position and inflicting 400 points of damage per monster so switched."

Shino's monsters whirred and clicked as their internal mechanisms shifted, their chest cavities opened up and bombs were about to be launched from spring-boards at Rua, who yawned theatrically. "Well, first of all, every time a monster changes battle position that I get to add a Deformer Counter to Deformer Field." The map became drawn in, more detailed. "More importantly though, by discarding Gadget Driver, I can switch Lighton from defense position to attack position." A screwdriver appeared and worked on Lighton, transforming it into its robotic form. "This lets me activate Lighton's attack position effect to make you suffer the effect damage I would have taken." Lighton flashed its light into the Karakuri Monsters' faces, causing their aim to fail and the bombs to land at Shino's feet for 1200 points of damage. "But hey, now my monster's in attack position, and there's no way my face-down card is prepared for that." There were snickers from the audience. "Well, except of course for the whole thing where I've got four Deformer Counters, and each one adds 300 attack points to all my Deformers, so…"

Lighton's attack power increased to 1400. "All Karakuri monsters must attack if possible. Therefore, I will have Saizan attack first." Saizan moved into position and fired the cannons on its back; Lighton just backhanded the shots back at Shino's monster, but when the dust settled… "When in attack position Saizan can't be destroyed by battle, and when I take battle damage with Saizan, the attack power of all my Karakuri monsters increases by 800 until the end phase." Shino's monsters began to move much more smoothly and swiftly. "Muzanichiha, attack Lighton."

"Trap card, Deformed Defense." In the moment that Muzanichiha brought its sword down on Lighton, Lighton transformed back into a flashlight, the Map filling itself in even more. "When attacked I switch a Deformer Monster I control to defense position and draw one card." Lighton was cleft in twain. "Moreover, Lighton's defense effect is now activated, preventing me from taking anymore battle damage this turn." Rua grinned cheekily as Ninishi spun up to him and flailed ineffectually at him. "So, you took that battle damage for nothing."

More snickers from the audience. "…I set one card, and end my turn." Shino glared at Rua with envenomed knives in her eyes; like he cared, she was just mad because he kicked her ass on her own turn and hardly even broke a sweat.

"Turn 3, Rua: 4000 life points, Shino: 2000 life points."

Rua drew his card. "Now watch carefully, because this is how a real duelist does their thing; I summon Deformer Cameran in attack position, and since I have 5 counters on Deformer Field, that gives my monster a total of 2300 attack points, and I can't help noticing that your Ninishi has zero attack points, so I'll go ahead and attack it, get it out of the way."

"Now your immaturity is exposed; when attacked, a Karakuri monster switches to defense position." Ninishi wrapped its arms around itself. "Furthermore, this allows me to activate my trap card Karakuri Trick House, and destroy one card you control; I think I'll get rid of this obnoxious Field Spell Card." A series of contraptions appeared at the borders of the map, and tore it to pieces. Without Deformer Field, Cameran's attack power dropped back down to 800, and with Ninishi's 1900 defense points…

"Guess you still need to practice controlling your power." Rua said, wiping the blood from his cheek. "But, when you destroyed Deformer Field that allowed me to special summon Lighton back from the grave, so I'm not even mad." Rua's monsters hovered together, side by side. "'Cause Lighton is a Tuner Monster, and Cameran isn't, so…" One ring spun about two stars. "Swift and sharp as justice, cutting down evil in its tracks. Syncro Summon! Come on out, Deformer Kathunk!" Everyone heard the 'thunk' before they saw the huge knife land blade-first into the ground. The blade then unfolded, creating arms and legs while the handle turned around to reveal a robotic face. "He's just a level 3 monster with 1000 attack and defense points; surely I don't have a trick up my sleeve, heh heh heh."

"Turn 4, Rua: 2900 life points, Shino: 2000 life points."

Shino drew her card. "Foolish brat, you have brought this down on yourself; I summon Karakuri Merchant mdl 177 Inashichi and activate its effect to add one Karakrui card from my deck to my hand." A mechanical merchant appeared, carrying a pair of boxes supported by a bar on its back. It opened one of the boxes and retrieved a card which it then handed to Shino. "With this, I now activate my Field Spell Card, Karakuri Showdown Castle." A feudal era Japanese castle appeared around Rua and Shino, complicated mechanisms lining the walls. "With this, when my Karakuri monsters attack, I can switch your monster's battle position. Therefore, I will attack with Saizan and switch your monster to defense position." The floor underneath Deformer Kathunk rose up and spun around until it was turned back to defense position, back into a knife embedded in the ground. Saizan then rushed forward and bit down on the knife, taking 400 damage, empowering its fellow mechanical puppets. "Next, I will have Inashichi attack your defense position monster, now that its attack power is greater than your childish toy's defense."

Inashichi walked up to Kathunk and swung its bar about before bringing a weighted box down on Kathunk to no effect. "Sorry, but when in defense position, Kathunk can't be destroyed by battle. But hey, you can always switch Kathunk back into attack position, I'm sure there's no way that could ever go wrong."

"You…" Shino breathed in and out, in and out, in and out… "Ninishi and Muzanichiha will both attack, and your monster will remain in defense position." The clang of Muzanichiha's blade echoed, while Nininishi's arms become chipped as it whipped them at the knife, suffering 200 damage in the process. "Now, during my second main phase, I will be tuning Inashichi to Saizan." Four rings, two stars. "Take command of the battlefield and reveal your plan! Synchro Summon! Assemble Karakuri Taicho mdl 0 Bul!" A lightly but ornately armored mechanical warrior holding a tall banner in one hand appeared. "Then, I tune Muzanichiha to Ninishi." Three rings, four stars. "The lord of all that he surveys, programmed to rule all war. Synchro Summon! Assemble, Karakuri Shogun mdl 00 Burei!" A four-eyed puppet in heavy ornate armor appeared, a fan in its right hand. "When Burei is summoned, I can special summon a Karakuri monster from my deck; come forth, Karakuri Muso mdl 818 Haipa!" A cyclopean warrior, one glowing red eye, wielding a vicious looking spear in both arms. "Once per turn Burei can switch a monster's battle position, and once per turn, Bul can sacrifice a monster who's battle position was changed by a card effect to inflict half its total attack power as damage to you."

Burei ordered Musou to stand down, then Bul waved its banner until the animating spirit driving it left its body and shot into Rua's chest. "Woo, that's going to leave a bruise." Rua rubbed tenderly at the impacted area. "Still, you must think you're pretty secure now with those high level monsters and that direct damage effect since you're too scared to take on Kathunk in battle."

"You will not manipulate me you petulant little brat, and if it weren't for Divine…"

"Turn 5, Rua: 1850 life points, Shino: 1400 life points."

"But Divine has chosen me as one of his elites, and now you're about to see why; first, I switch Deformer Kathunk to attack position, and then I equip it with Deformer Power Unit, making its attack double its original attack. Then, I activate Kathunk's attack position effect and pay 1000 life points to add a random equip spell card from my deck to my hand." Rua took the card that slid out from his deck. "That's right, if you'd just attacked my monster in attack position, you would have won; looks like I manipulated you after all." Rua snickered derisively. "Anyway, I'll go ahead and equip Kathunk with Megamorph, and since I have fewer life points than you, that means my monster's original attack is doubled, so all together Kathunk now possesses 4000 attack points…and how about that, just what I need to destroy your strongest monster and wipe out all your life points in one go; what are the odds of that?"

"I don't care about your odds." Shino's voice dripped with venom. "You've already won, I have no further reason to be here."

"No I haven't." The gemstone on Rua's circlet glowed, and Shino could not lift her feet. "I haven't shown you, shown everyone my power yet; Deformer Kathunk, attack Burei!" Kathunk leaped and embedded itself into Burei with such force that it sent Shino flying off her feet. "There, now you can walk away."

"Yes, I can." Shino took the remaining card in her hand and returned it to her deck, then walked out, only a slight limp slowing her down. The crowd thinned out as each member of the Arcadia Movement returned to their original duties, all except for Aki, Akira, and Divine.

"That was very good Rua." Divine walked up to Rua and handed his Power Tool Dragon back to him. "You took what I told you about Shino and used it as well as you could have." Divine then patted him on the head, adjusting the golden circlet to make sure it stayed in place.

"I agree, you were amazing Rua." Akira kept hopping in place. "Seeing you be so forceful and confident, it inspires me to believe in myself and think that I can be the same way."

"Indeed Rua." Aki said, her smile the one Rua knew she was always meant to have. "That is exactly the kind of power you will need to defeat Godwin and his minions."

"Don't worry guys, I won't let you down."

* * *

><p>"I see." Godwin said as his contact's voice echoed in his head. "Continue your observations and endeavor to be in position to be able to neutralize Rua at a moment's notice…no, it doesn't have to be lethal, but if you have to, then you have to." A lesser man would have balked at the possible necessity of sacrificing the life of a child, but Rex Godwin had an obligation and responsibility to all the children whose lives were ruined or lost in Zero Reverse. He still sought to avoid it of course, Ruka's psychological stability was to be maintained after all, but they would manage somehow, he would see to that.<p> 


	33. Chapter 33

**Guardian Angel**

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><p>Jack Atlas stared at the shot glass before him on the bar counter; he'd gone barhopping a great many times in the past, but this was the first time he'd done so since he lost his title as King of Riding Duels.<p>

"Jack." Yusei had said as he'd left the apartment. "Something's been bothering you, something you haven't shared with us."

"If I am keeping secrets, I expect you to respect that, the way you always have." Jack had replied without looking back, without stopping.

Mikage had followed him of course, and Jack knew there was no use telling her he wanted to be alone; she would no more allow that then Yusei would violate his trust in him…which was remarkable in and of itself, that after everything that they'd been through, that after what he'd done, Yusei managed to find it in himself to trust him again.

"Hello Jack." Back in the present, Jack turned his head and saw a man with tanned skin, calloused hands, black hair, and a bright red Criminal Marker on his face next to him. "I see you're thinking the same as me." The man pointed to his own untouched shot glass.

"You think you have anything in common with…" Jack's voice drifted away; what the hell was he doing? Was he still going to call himself the King in front of someone who no doubt watched every moment of his dethroning?

"I'll be right back Jack." Jack turned his head sharply at Mikage, watched as she stepped outside of the bar; in a strange way it was reassuring, for Mikage to leave him alone like this, she must have thought he would be safe without her. Yes, even during the brawl with the Rabid Weasels back in the Satellite, she continued to defend him, watched his back, blocked attacks that were meant for him.

"Now there's a respect we share good fortune in." The man with the calloused fingers spoke; it was a bit awkward not knowing his name. "My name's Tsubasa, I've got a sister just like your assistant Mikage, always watching out for me, can't imagine how badly off I'd be without her."

"Mikage's no longer my assistant." All else that came with the title of King had been stripped of him ever since Aki defeated him at the Fortune Cup tournament, yet Mikage stayed with him for reasons all her own.

"Ah, I misunderstood; there've been rumors about you two for the longest time…"

"They are mistaken." When Mikage wasn't being called his nanny or his babysitter, the tabloids were just as likely to call her his lover, and doctor photos to provoke reactions; at the time it had amused him to see her threatening the editors of those rags, but now…

"My apologies, I seem to be making a lot of mistakes, not that this is anything new for me of course." Tsubasa traced his finger along the rim of his glass, putting Jack in the mind of a child wanting to get something off their chest. "It must have been a real shock what happened to you at the Fortune Cup; 2 years of endless victories, all brought crashing down all around you like so much rubble."

"It is a King's fate that the sun shall one day set on his reign; my only regret is that I didn't give a proper shining duel to my loyal fans." As naked a lie as any of the many lies that Jack had told himself and those around him… "Of course, there were mistakes made before I became King."

"Oh?"

"You think you have everything worked out exactly, you know how what everyone's going to do, you leave with every confidence that all will go according to script, and then, after the fact…" Jack grabbed his glass and took his shot.

"I know that feeling; me and Shizuka, it was going smooth as velvet, like turning a sow's ear into a purse. But now I see it, it was inevitable that it would end in disaster."

"Out of your league was she?"

"You don't know the half of it; she was my employer's little sister, and what's more, I was so occupied with trying to sneak around him, I didn't even realize he was trying the same stunt with my sister." Tsubasa chuckled darkly. "What a sick way to find out you and the guy you hate aren't so different after all, huh?"

"That it is." Jack took his shot, but it was not enough, not enough to drown out the similarities between him and Aki, the both of them with blood on their hands. "Your sister was okay though, wasn't she?" Anything to distract him from those thoughts that he came here to escape from, thoughts of Aki, thoughts of Rally, thoughts of sin…

"Put her in a fight with Mikage, whoever wins will still have a whole hell of a lot of pain on their hands; she punched him square in the jaw when he went too far, me and his sister ran in there, and…"

"Say no more." Jack ordered another drink, stared at it. "I'll take a wild stab and say the two of you were sent to the Detention Center after that."

"You couldn't have been the King for two years and not know how the courts work." Tsubasa said with a sardonic grin as he ordered his next drink. "If the Black Rose Witch hadn't shown up just when she had…"

"Then you two wouldn't have been able to join the Arcadia Movement." Both Jack and Tsubasa jerked their heads towards the door, as did all the other bar patrons. Mikage stood in the doorway, pda with holographic display in her hand. "I was suspicious, so I checked the records; this Tsubasa and his twin sister Yua are both members of the Arcadia Movement."

Jack's eyes narrowed at Tsubasa. "You were careful not to mention your sister's name; it won't do you any good now." Mikage must have gotten a glimpse of him just before Yua had activated her power and blinded everyone; where in the hell did Godwin find her? "Now I'm going to capture you, and we're going to do a little hostage exchange." The other bar patrons got up from their seats, edged their way to the walls.

Tsubasa shook his head as he stood up, Jack stood up as well. "Can't even go out for a drink without getting threatened." Tsubasa rubbed the back of his left hand. "As a Psychic Duelist and as a Marked Criminal, I'm double condemned by this city, punished for nothing more than seeking my own desires."

"Complain to someone who has sympathy for a kidnapper." As Jack spoke, motes of dust manifested around Tsubasa like an aura.

"Better a kidnapper than a child killer." The crowd paused in its efforts to slink out the back exit, staring them both. "Just happened to overhear Hayate reporting into Divine, telling him about how he tried to bring you in for what you did to that kid Rally."

"Now there's a way to try and cover your tracks for your own murder attempts." Jack could see and hear though, see and hear the doubt on the faces of the crowd, how they were leaning in favor of Tsubasa's rendering of events. "But enough words, we'll let the gods of fate reveal their judgment in a duel." Jack armed his duel disc.

"Then we shall take this outside, for everyone in the whole city to see." With that the crowd broke for the exits, and Mikage calmly strode out. Jack and Tsubasa entered the street, watched as traffic came to a halt around them. People backed away, ready to move even further back if it proved necessary, all except for Mikage; she stood her ground, her eyes held no doubt. "Why don't you take your turn first Jack?"

"I will, to sooner bring you to justice and return Rua back to his sister." The time he'd spent in that apartment, the time he'd spent with those children, he understood how Yusei had bonded so strongly with them. "I summon Power Breaker in attack position, and set two cards to end my turn." Jack's monster had a feral expression on its face, clanging its bladed armbands together to demonstrate how eager it was to use them.

"Turn 2, Jack Atlas: 4000 life points, Tsubasa: 4000 life points."

"Fact of the matter is Jack, I really don't blame you for what happened to that kid; mistakes and accidents and events careening beyond our ability to control. We only talked for a little bit, but I could tell from that that you're no killer." Tsubasa drew his card. "At the same time though, my sister would never forgive me if I let myself be used as a pawn against Divine who took us in, who gave us a place again." Tsubasa studied his hand. "I summon XX-Saber Boggart Knight." The bestial humanoid had electrically charged bands around its arms and legs, and on its back a flowing red cape, 1900 attack points the same as Power Breaker's. "When summoned, I can activate its effect to special summon a level 4 or lower X-Saber monster from my hand, so I bring out X-Saber Galahad." A warrior in a pale-ivory fish mask appeared, spinning a thin spear over its head. "I now equip Galahad with Sword of Sparkles, so that when it destroys your monster by battle, I can destroy one other card you control." Galahad's spear changed into a broadsword that shimmered in the sunlight. "Finally, when Galahad attacks a monster, its attack power rises by 300 points, making it stronger than your Power Breaker."

Galahad charged, sword low towards the ground. "I could let you get this first blow in and give you a taste of Power Breaker's effect, but why bother? I activate my trap card, Fiendish Chain!" Chains shot out from hellish portals and wrapped around Galhad, bringing it to its knees. "Now your monster can't activate its effect, attack, or change its battle position."

"I had an ugly feeling about that, and no sense breaking my other monster just to get rid of yours. I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 3, Jack Atlas: 4000 life points, Tsubasa: 4000 life points."

"And that is where your foolishness lies; never allow your opponent's monster a chance to survive." Jack drew his card. "I summon Power Supplier in defense position and activate its effect to increase Power Breaker's attack power by 400 points, allowing it to destroy your Boggart Knight." Swift and forceful slashes, and Power Breaker cleft Boggart Knight in twain for 400 points of damage. "Of course, now Power Breaker will switch to defense position in accordance with its own effect, and I end my turn."

"Turn 4, Jack Atlas: 4000 life points, Tsubasa: 3600 life points."

"That was a good display of skill with your two monsters, but I'm afraid that I'm not so chained as you would believe." The pressure in the air increased as Tsubasa drew his card. "I first summon X-Saber Palomuro," a reptilian warrior with a thin metal staff appeared, "and then I play Saber Slash, allowing me to destroy one card for every X-Saber monster I control." Despite the chains Galahad brought his sword together with Palomuro's staff, and together they created an X-shaped pressure wave that sliced through both of Jack's monsters.

"And with that, Power Breaker destroys your face-up spell card Sword of Sparkles." Galahad's weapon returned to its original form.

"A useless gesture Jack; I was already going to send both of my monsters to the grave." One ring passed over four stars. "The warrior of honor unmatched crosses the battlefield. Synchro Summon! Take your blade, X-Saber Edward!" A cold hard man with a wolf's face appeared, a long blade forged of ice sharp as steel. "When summoned to the field, Edward's effect allows me to discard two random cards from your hand."

"Where's the honor in that?" Jack looked at the remaining card in his hand; if Tsubasa's face down card was what he thought it was…

"The honor is in ensuring that you don't pull any tricks on my down the line; Edward attacks, and with that I activate my trap card At One with the Sword." X-Saber Edward raised the blade high over its head, and the cold wind that blew fused the sword to its hands. Jack grinned, but only for a moment; Edward brought the sword down on him for a direct attack for 2900 points of damage, and feeling that blow, it was just as bad as when he dueled Hayate, slamming him down into the ground, nearly breaking his shoulder. "I end my turn."

"Turn 5, Jack Atlas: 1100 life points, Tsubasa: 3600 life points."

Jack did not need to look back as he returned to his feet, he knew that Mikage was still at his back, still believing in him, believing in what it was she still saw in him. "Exactly as I thought," Jack drew his card, "and the fates yet smile on me; I first activate Trap Eater's effect and send your At One with the Sword card to the grave to special summon it to the field." Jack's grotesque fiend feasted on Tsubasa's trap card before flying back to Jack's side of the field, Edward's grip on its blade weakened. "Next, I summon Exploder Dragon, a level 3 Dragon monster to go with my level 4 Tuner monster Trap Eater." 4 rings spun about an equilateral triangle of stars. "The rulers shouts echo throughout! Hammer of Victory, shatter the very earth! Synchro Summon! Flap your wings, Exploder Dragonwing!" Its legs were far too thin, the arms connected to the body by spindles, and the hump on its back was lumpy and malformed, but the dark power about it was very real. "When Exploder Dragonwing battles a monster with equal or lower attack points, I can activate its effect to destroy that monster and inflict damage equal to the destroyed monster's attack power."

Despite the deformed build, Exploder Dragonwing flew straight and true, and the orange-white hot fire it breathed unleashed a terrible explosion that scattered the crowd for a moment.

"Damn." Tsubasa wiped the sweat from his brow. "Even though you're not a Psychic Duelist, that still felt very real." He then pointed to the glowing mark on Jack's arm. "I suppose that's something else you have in common with Aki, isn't it?"

"…I end my turn." Jack was in control, he would remain in control, nothing would ever change that.

"Turn 6, Jack Atlas: 1100 life points, Tsubasa: 1500 life points."

Tsubasa drew his card. "If I have two X-Saber monsters in my grave and I control no monsters, I can special summon XX-Saber Gardestrike from my hand." Full-plate green armor, and a blade that curved back over the right arm, the left hand like a lion's paw. "Then, I summon X-Saber Pashuul." A fully human figure in blue armor, eyepatch, and a massive sword crossed defensively over its chest. "I tune my level 5 Gardestrike to my level 2 Pashuul." Two rings, five stars. "Power exists to protect the weak, a vow sworn on the Earth itself! Synchro Summon! To arms, X-Saber Souza!" A hugely muscled man with an exposed chest appeared, a cheesy grin and a sword in each hand, red cape billowing out from broad shoulders. "Souza, attack and destroy Exploder Dragonwing." Like an artist, a poet, Souza cut down Jack's monster piece by piece, each slash showing up on Jack's body little by little.

"And this is what you want freedom to do in turn, isn't it?" Jack raised his arm, showed the cuts on it and how they avoided his Dragon Birthmark. "Face it, even if you were telling the truth about me, you have no moral superiority over me."

"Oh yes I do, because while I have many desires, my most important has always been for my sister's happiness. You have nothing like that."

"Oh really?" Jack held his arm out. "I activate my trap card, Descending Lost Star; I special summon a Synchro Monster from my grave in defense position, its level reduced by one, its effect negated, and its defense reduced to zero." Jack's monster roared as it revived, the glow of its eyes just as fierce as before. "I've endured my trials, and even if I'm no longer the King, I will continue to honor and uphold the title."

The crowd was beginning to turn back in Jack's favor. "Ideals and lies over people, that is why you are doomed to lose."

"Turn 7, Jack Atlas: 1000 life points, Tsubasa: 1500 life points."

"When you witness my turn," Jack drew his card, the Dragon Birthmark glowed, "you will understand that there is nothing greater than my convictions! I summon Resourceful Fiend, a level 2 Tuner monster." A giggling devil with flesh pockets lined all over its body appeared for only a moment before transforming into a pair of glowing rings around the six that were once Exploder Dragonwing. "The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Demon's Dragon!" With the arrival of Jack's signature monster, his ace, his Signer Dragon, the crowd aligned with him and against Tsubasa. "Furthermore, when sent to the grave for a Synchro Summon, I can remove both Resourceful Fiend and the other material monsters from play to draw two cards and then remove one of those from play." Jack saw the options before him, chose the one that would bear fruit. "Red Demon's Dragon, attack and destroy his pitiful monster!" With glowing claws Red Demon's Dragon sliced through X-Saber Souza's body for 500 points of damage.

"You've recovered, yes, but this was a possibility I was prepared for as well." Tsubasa's grave shined. "When an X-Saber monster is destroyed by battle, I can pay 500 life points to bring back X-Saber Palomuro from my grave." The lizard creature crawled up from underground, eyeing Red Demon's Dragon."

"An outcome that I made sure to be prepared for." Jack set his card in his spell/trap zone. "I end my turn."

"Turn 8, Jack Atlas: 1000 life points, Tsubasa: 500 life points."

As Tsubasa drew his card, the road benath his arm started to crack. "I activate Earth's Rewards; by returning five Earth Attribute monsters in my grave to my deck, I can then draw three cards." Gardestrike, Souza, Edward, Galahad, and Pashuul all flew back into Tsubasa's deck, and with that he gained three cards. "I summon X-Saber Uruz and activate the spell card Gottoms Deployment, since I control two X-Saber monsters I can special summon a level-four or lower X-Saber monster from my deck to the field, and I choose X-Sabar Galahad." Galahad entered the fray alongside a feral looking warrior with red fur and blades along both arms. "I now tune both my level 4 X-Saber monsters to my level 1 tuner monster." A single ring shot itself around 8 stars. "Beyond the battlefield lies victory, the defender of the innocent. Synchro Summon! Brandish your blade, XX-Saber Gottoms!" A colossal metal figure who created craters where he stood, the street giving way to its mass, armor lined with glowing electronics, and in one hand a sword of impossible size, 3100 attack points. "Finally, I equip Gottoms with Glory Shield; when the equipped monster attacks you can't activate spells or traps until after the damage step, and if I inflict battle damage I can destroy one spell or trap on the field." Diamond encrusted and with a small halo over it, it was a very holy defense indeed.

XX-Saber Gottoms attacked without fear, as well it should, for Jack could not activate his face-down Prideful Roar; thus, Red Demon's Dragon was decapitated in battle before his very eyes. It was only 100 points of damage, but the effect this had on the crowd was devastating, their mood now once more with Tsubasa. "You've learned from your earlier mistake. You wouldn't be a worthwhile opponent, this a worthwhile duel, without that." Glory Shield shined, and Jack's trap was gone.

"So long as I can win, so long as I can avoid an irreparable mistake, I don't care about the duel or my opponent or anything else. I end my turn."

"Turn 9, Jack Atlas: 900 life points, Tsubasa: 500 life points."

"No pride, only outcomes…" Jack drew his card. "I end my turn."

"Turn 10, Jack Atlas: 900 life points, Tsubasa: 500 life points."

The crowd murumured in confusion, could the former King of Riding Duels really be giving up, against a Psychic Duelist? "No, you haven't given up." Tsubasa drew his card. "If you didn't play that card, it can only mean that it activates from your hand, and as it so happens I already have exactly what I need to deal with that; I summon X-Saber Airbellum, and sacrifice it to XX-Saber Gottom's effect to discard one random card from your hand."

"What?!" No! This couldn't be…no! Airbellum was launched into the air, and sliced through a holographic representation of the lone card in Jack's hand, Battle Fader, both cards now lost.

"You have been stripped of everything Jack, all your mistakes have caught up with you, and though you've tried to run, you won't be able to escape, not anymore." Jack realized he couldn't lift his legs, he couldn't uproot himself from his position. "I really am sorry it has to be this way Jack, but there's just no avoiding it." The two men glared at one another, the crowd was silent. "XX-Saber Gottoms, attack directly."

Jack stood his ground the same as Yusei did when he rode into Aki's attack at the Fortune Cup. Tsubasa's monster charged, the pounding of its feet like thunder, the sword was drawn to the side, gripped in both hands as the Glory Shield was tossed aside…

Jack suddenly felt himself lifted off his feet and tossed away, landing several feet away in an ungainly heap, but he could still see, he could see her, he could see Mikage, he saw her standing in his place, her back to Tsubasa's monster, he saw the sword go across her back, through her spine, saw her fall forward in a bloody heap.

He saw Rally. He saw Rally, dead in the water. He heard the crowd turn against Tsubasa. "YOU BASTARD!" Jack heard himself shout, felt himself get back to his feet, all pain lost and forgotten.

* * *

><p>"Shizuka…Shizuka…" Tsubasa was on his knees, gripping his head in his hands, unaware and helpless, his monster vanished. Jack charged, and with that the crowd charged at his back, their alliance cemented.<p>

"Tsubasa!" Jack heard Yua's voice from the crowd, and was then blinded by the light, the same light she'd used back at the end of her duel with Yusei. Everyone was shouting, disorienting him.

The light faded, and Tsubasa was gone, no doubt rescued by his sister. Body shaking, Jack returned to Mikage, felt for a pulse. "Get an ambulance!"

"Tsubasa, Tsubasa!" Everything came back together, he was pulled back into the present reality.

"Yua…I…" How could he have…after telling Jack about how he wouldn't make any more mistakes, how could he repeat what he'd done, and to that woman Mikage?

"It doesn't matter, we're back at the Arcadia Movement headquarters, safe and secure." He looked around, realized she was right.

"It couldn't have been easy for you to drag me all this way."

Yua. "We're all we have, what kind of sister would I be if I didn't look out for you."

"Yeah." Tsubasa shook his head, a wan smile on his face. "That's what we do."


	34. Chapter 34

**Seeing Through a Mirror**

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><p>Divine stood on the stage and looked upon the gathered members of the Arcadia Movement; all were present and accounted for. "Tsubasa." Divine kept his hands behind his back as one of his most promising members slunk onto the stage. "Your duel with Jack Atlas did indeed cost us dearly; the people had lost faith in Security and their fear of us was set to give way to submission. Now though, that injury you inflicted on Mikage Sagiri, Rex Godwin has been able to fan the flames of hatred, and that hate will drive them against us all costs until they feel that this injustice has been repaid in kind."<p>

"Forgive me, Lord Divine." Tsubasa got down on his knees, bowed as low as he could; Yua visibly restrained herself to keep from rushing onto the stage. "I only wanted go out, just to get a drink among strangers, I didn't…I never imagined…" The thoughts that he'd kept suppressed flowed freely from his mind, the images of that girl with the inviting eyes. Divine clamped down on them.

"You are forgiven." Divine extended his hand to Tsubasa. "The damage is not so great that we cannot recover." Divine brought Tsubasa back up to his feet and turned to address his followers. "Everyone! This shall be the last instance of oppression that we suffer from! Never again will we be targeted, persecuted, attacked, just because of who we are, because of a power that none of us asked for! Rex Godwin will send his forces to attack us, and soon, believing that our morale is broken. It is not! Our power marks us as the heirs to the future, for we have endured their suffering while they've sat soft and complacent, suffering displaced onto those they would ignore and cast aside. No more! We will repel this imminent attack, show that ours is the true strength, and then we will bring this war to Godwin's doorstep, and end it! We will claim our freedom, and repay this city everything that it has paid out to us, every last anguished moment in full."

Divine's followers cheered, applauded. "And so, we will begin our counterattack before Rex has initiated his plan." There was confused murmuring. "Tsubasa, return to your sister." He did so. "Akira, Shino, please come up." The murmuring continued.

"Yes, Lord Divine?" Shino asked as she bowed to him.

He turned to Akira. "Akira, you are to execute the traitor."

"Wh-what?" Akira gaped in shock, Shino stood silent.

"I apologize, I misspoke." Divine turned to Shino. "After all, you were never loyal to me to begin with, were you?"

"…Whatever your test, Lord Divine, I trust in you." Nevertheless, she had her face turned away from the crowd.

"No, this is not your test Shino, this is Akira's; your test was during your duel against Rua."

"My duel?" Rua piped up, breaking the crowd's silence.

"Yes Rua, and you did very well in exposing Shino's true nature to me."

"I see." Shino drew up a proud profile. "That's why you had the brat dueling like that, using those cards, taunting me…when did you first suspect?"

"It was during the incident when our good Akira had holed himself up in the training room and wouldn't leave. You recall that incident, don't you Akira?"

Akira nodded. "Yes, Lord Divine. I…I lost control of my memories, and Aki had to stop me before I destroyed everything."

"That's right, and what was more, I had Shino be the one to summon Aki to deal with you, because I knew that your power would frighten her and get her to lower her guard." He turned back to Shino. "Sadly, it was only for a moment, so while I saw the image of Rex Godwin in your mind, I could not be certain whether it was an image of a hated enemy, or the vision of your true master."

"And then you had Rua duel me, and I lost myself in my anger, lowered my defenses long enough without realizing it."

"It has been my experience that very few people ever realize when their defenses have been lost." Divine drew himself to the back end of the stage. "Akira, Shino has been from the very start a spy, an agent of Godwin who has been feeding him intelligence on our movements. If she is not stopped here and now, all will be lost. This is your chance to change things Akira, this is your opportunity to take those memories, and use them for our cause."

"Yes…you're right, Lord Divine." Akira breathed in through his nostrils. He extended his hand, pointed at his opponent, looked with eyes like stone. "I will use every last bit of my power to destroy you."

* * *

><p>"You really think you can do that?" Shino glared at her opponent, all pretense dropped; she would need all of her power to get out of this alive, or to at least reduce Divine's forces. "That moment in the training room may have been startling, but I've seen you for the pathetic mewling wretch that you are, and I will leave you an even more pitiful puppet than you already are."<p>

"No, you won't trick me, not again." A humanoid phantasm appeared around Akira's slender frame, looking just like the ones from when his power had gone on that rampage. "You and all the others who derided me for this power I never asked for, now you will suffer your comeuppance." The phantasm vanished, receded into Akira's deck as he drew his cards.

"And now you're delusional." Shino drew her cards, then glanced at Divine; whatever game he was playing at, she would see her way through it. "I take the first turn and summon Karakuri Barrel mdl 96 Shinkuro." A barrel dropped down onto the ground in front of Shino, and opened up as the myriad mechanical components within it came to life, revealing eyes and legs and arms. "I set one card and then activate the permanent spell card Karakuri Anatomy." A scroll appeared on the wall and rolled down like a tapestry, inscribed with details on the construction and maintenance of mechanical dolls. "Every time a Karakuri monster changes battle position, I place one Karakuri Counter on this card up to a maximum of two, at which point I can send it to the grave to draw two cards. With that, I end my turn."

"Turn 2, Shino: 4000 life points, Akira: 4000 life points."

"My turn." Akira inhaled sharply as he drew his card. He looked down at his hand, then swept his head back, making his bangs fly back off of his eyes. "I can almost see it now." He brought his head level with hers. "I summon Gem-Knight Alexandrite." A warrior clad in gray-steel armor with alexandrite gems embedded in the joints, on the chest, and in the helmet. "Now I sacrifice Alexandrite and special summon a Normal Gem-Knight monster from my deck. Come forth, Gem-Knight Crystal." The armor around Alexandrite shattered and fell away, revealing a taller warrior with massive quartz pauldrons and a yellow fringe coming from the back of its helmet. It brought its fists together, clanging with 2450 attack points. "Gem-Knight Crystal, attack Shinkuro."

Gem-Knight Crystal removed its quartz armbands and tossed them, spinning so fast they looked like razor blades. "Shinkuro's effect switches it to defense position, and once per turn it can't be destroyed by battle." Shinkuro's extensions withdrew back into its body, and the armbands bounced off the construct. Meanwhile, half the text on Karakuri Anatomy became luminescent. "You see? No matter how much power you might have, it's useless in the hands of a developmentally stunted child like you."

"You really don't like children, do you Shino?" The image reflected in Shino's eyes was himself, tear-stained and snot-nosed brat that he'd been only a few years ago.

Shino shrugged. "What's to like? Children consume and produce nothing, they are delicate and have to be coddled, and they have no understanding of the world; the time I've had to spend here, the time I've had to act concerned about your well-being, it was truly the greatest torture that Divine could have concocted." Shino smirked. "The worst is when the children think they're in love; their gestures are as comic as they are tragic."

"You!" Akira snarled, he actually snarled. "No," he shook his head, "No, I won't let you mess with my head, Divine chose me, Divine trusts me, and you are nothing, nothing but…"

"But?" She waved her hand, inviting him to fill in the blank.

"I set one card, and end my turn."

"Turn 3, Shino: 4000 life points, Akira: 4000 life points."

"You see? A child like yourself can't even conjure up the words you need without someone feeding them to you…what a farce you are; I don't know what Divine is playing at, but I will end this here and now." Shino drew her card. "I switch Shinkuro back to attack position and thus add my second counter to Karakuri Anatomy." The scroll was now blindingly luminous. "I send Anatomy to the grave to draw two cards." The scroll burst into blue fire, not even leaving ash behind. "I now activate Machine Duplication, and special summon two more Shinkuros from my deck in defense position." There were now three mechanical barrels on the field. "I now sacrifice my attack-position Shinkuro to summon Karakuri Ninja mdl 7749 Nanashick." Katana in one hand, chakram in the other, tattered cloak on its back, braided ropes hanging down from its shoulders, Nanashick was a dark presence with 2200 attack points. "When normal summoned, Nanashick's effect activates, allowing me to draw one card for every defense position monster I control." With that, Shino claimed two more cards.

"That…that's a lot of cards." Akira said, and his eyes were the same as when she'd first seen them, the petulant whelp determined to get himself into Aki's good graces.

"A terrified opponent is like a child, ineffectual and easy to deal with." Shino swept her arm out. "I now tune Nanashick to one of my remaining Shinkuros." A single ring sped around five stars. "Take command of the battlefield and reveal your plan! Synchro Summon! Assemble Karakuri Taicho mdl 0 Bul!" Bul glared darkly at Akira. "Then, I tune Bul to my last Shinkuro." One ring gathered up six stars. "The lord of all that he surveys, programmed to rule all war. Synchro Summon! Assemble, Karakuri Shogun mdl 00 Burei!" With a wave of its fan, Burei activated its effect and special summoned Karakuri Muso mdl 818 Haipa from the deck. "Now, I will attack your Gem-Knight Crystal with Haipa."

"You…you what?" How the pathetic boy had regressed so quickly; it almost made Shino worry that this was the trap he had in mind for her, that Akira was his sacrificial pawn to rile up the rest of his followers against her.

"I personally believe in sacrificing my enemies." Shino jerked her head towards Divine, saw that he hadn't opened his mouth despite how clearly she'd heard him.

Wait! "I activate my quick-spell card, Runaway Karakuri; until the end phase Haipa's attack power is increased by 1000 and its own effect is negated." Damn it, Divine almost distracted her, almost made her fail in the line of duty. It didn't work though, she'd activated her spell in plenty of time and Akira's inept monster was gutted and skewered for 650 points of damage. "And now I will attack directly with Burei." The whirring of gears and the popping of springs echoed all around the crowd as Burei advanced.

"I, I activate my trap Fragment Fusion; by removing from my grave the material monsters for a Gem-Knight monster, I can Fusion Summon that monster, which is destroyed during the end phase; so, by removing a Gem-Knight and a Rock-type monster in my grave, I fusion summon Gem-Knight Zirconia." A warrior in a giant suit of armor, colossal arms capped by crystal hammer-heads, and a large purple cape down the back, and most importantly, 2900 attack points against Burei's 2600.

"I could wait for your monster to destroy itself, but I think it will be much more crippling if I take care of it myself; I continue my attack and activate my face-down card Golden Gearbox, increasing Burei's attack by 500 points until the end phase." Burei punched right through Zirconia's chest, leaving behind a gaping hole that expanded to consume the entirety of Akira's monster for 200 points of damage. "I now set two cards, and activate Burei's effect to switch Haipa to defense position, and end my turn."

"Turn 4, Shino: 4000 life points, Akira: 3150 life points."

Akira's eyes were unfocused, the harsh reality and the pain of his injuries catching up to him. Then his head shook, and he looked directly into hers. "Okay, I get it now; everything you've been saying to me, all that stuff…that's how you feel about yourself."

"What?"

"Of course, it all makes sense now…your monsters are all mechanical puppets, and that's what you are, just one of Godwin's toys, that's why you want us to be just like you." A crooked smile took over Akira's face. "You really are just like them, all those people who hated me, because they knew I was better than them but tried to trick me into thinking I wasn't." His laughed, the sounds choked. "You're the reason why I was too scared to do anything, to be able to help her when she needed me, the one time she needed my power…" Then, dead silence. Akira drew his card. "I now activate Gem-Knight Fusion."

"Wrong, I activate my counter-trap, Karakuri Cash Shed; when I control a Karakuri monster in face-up defense position, I can negate the activation of a spell or trap and destroy it." Fire consumed Akira's card, ash blown away by a gust of wind.

"That's right, try to shut me down, deny my power, it won't work again! When in the grave, I can remove a Gem-Knight monster in my grave from play to return Gem-Knight Fusion back to my hand." Zirconia's phantom appeared, presented Akira with his card, and vanished. "I now activate Gem-Knight Fusion, sending a Pyro-type and a Gem-Knight monster from my hand to the grave to Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Citrine!" One knight's armor was encrusted with garnets, the other with sapphires. Combined, they became an armored figure with molten hands and blade, a single citrine gem embedded in its chest. "Now, by removing Gem-Knight Sapphire in my grave from play, I return Gem-Knight Fusion back to my hand, and activate it once more, sending a Gem-Knight and a Thunder-type from my hand to the grave to Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Prismaura!" One knight had yellow armor and lightning daggers, the other was a small and slender female figure with long tassels hanging off her helmet; together they became a heavy figure with shield and lance in hand. "When Gem-Knight Lazuli is sent to the grave by a card effect, I can add a normal monster in my grave back to my hand, thus I reclaim Gem-Knight Garnet and discard it to activate Prismaura's effect." Prismaura raised its lance high into the air. "Once per turn, I send a Gem-Knight monster from my hand to the grave to destroy one face-up card on the field, and I choose Burei!" A beam of light shot up from Prismaura's lance, and arced down onto Burei, destroying it.

"Even a brat can manage to break a few toys if they apply themselves." As Shino spoke, she suddenly saw a purple haired girl standing alone amidst a crowd of orphans. She banished the vision, focused on the reality of her face-down Karakuri Klock that was set to wipe out all of Akira's monsters the moment he attacked her defense position Haipa.

"I now attack with Gem-Knight Citrine, activating its effect to prevent you from activating a card or effect until the end of the damage step."

"What?!" Citrine sliced through Haipa effortlessly with its molten blade, and now she wouldn't be able to activate her trap.

"Gem-Knight Prismaura, attack directly." Forgoing the lance, Akira's monster slammed into her with its shield, breaking several ribs in the process. "You see? You're everything you said I was, a weak puppet and nothing more." For an instant Akira's face transformed into that of an old man, so heavily wrinkled it was like it was carved from a rock. The phantom pain of a welt on her back, she banished it and the image from her mind. "I end my turn."

"Turn 5, Shino: 1550 life points, Akira: 3150 life points."

"A puppet." Shino saw herself stealing. "A tool." Shino saw her power awaken for the first time. "A pawn." She saw the crook she worked for. "You say as though I don't already know." Shino saw Rex Godwin standing above her, giving her her mission. "I am a cog in the wheel of Neo-Domino City, and I will fulfill my assigned role." Shino drew her card. "Selfish fools like you that haven't learned their place can only ruin everything. I now activate Pot of Avarice and return five monsters in my grave back to my deck to draw two cards. Then, I summon Karakuri Merchant mdl 177 Inashichi and activate its effect to add a Karakuri card to my hand. Following that, I activate Karakuri Clutter; since I control a Karakuri monster, I can switch it to defense position to special summon two more Karakuri monsters from my hand. Come forth, Karakuri Komachi mdl 224 Ninishi and Karakuri Ninja mdl 339 Sazank." There was indeed a cacophonous clatter as Shino's mechanical puppets took to the field. "I now tune Sazank and Inashichi to Ninishi." Three rings, five stars. "The twin blades of war, the cost of victory will now be paid. Synchro Summon! Stand tall, Karakuri Steel Shogun mdl 00X Bureido!" Spiked armor, red robe, twin swords, Bureido looked down upon Akira and his monster with the full strength of its 2800 attack points. "Bureido's effect activates, allowing me to special summon a Karakuri monster from my deck, Nanashick." The mechanical ninja that had been returned to the deck had now been retrieved from it at the behest of its master. "And now, I activate Karakuri Corridor." A complex series of spring-loaded compartments encased Bureido and delivered him across the stage in a circuitous route. "If I control two Karakuri Monsters, I can switch one to defense position, permanently, and the other can attack you directly."

Karakrui Shogun was delivered right behind Akira, and brought down both swords onto Akira's shoulders, cutting deep into the bone. "Is that all?" Akira shrugged off the injury, shrugged off 2800 points of damage. "That won't be enough, you won't deny me my revenge with that paltry attack." Shino watched the manic twitch in Akira's eye as her monster returned to her side of the field.

"Divine's driven you out of your mind…you really think I am one of the people who wronged you."

"That's because you are." Akira said.

"Then I have nothing more to say; since Haipa was switched to defense position, I can activate Bureido's effect and draw one card; I then set two cards, and end my turn."

"Turn 6, Shino: 1550 life points, Akira: 350 life points."

All Shino had to do was wait for Akira to try and use Prismaura's effect again to try and destroy Bureido, and she would be able to activate her face-down Karakuri Retraction to change Bureido to defense and draw one card, and then she could activate Karakuri Shield Armament to negate Prismaura's effect and destroy it. And if he were to attack with something other than Citrine, she could use the same combo only with Karakuri Clock; no matter what, everything was set, all he had to do was pull one of the triggers she'd set down for him. "I activate my spell card, Smoothed Over Gem; since I control two or more Fusion Gem-Knight monsters, I can draw three cards." As Akira drew his cards, cracks appeared in the floor beneath him. "I now remove Gem-Knight Lazuli in my grave from play to return Gem-Knight Fusion to my hand, and activate it, sending Gem-Knight and an Aqua type monster in my hand to the grave to Fusion summon Gem-Knight Amethyst." Purple armor, a wavy shield, and a high-pressure water gun on its arm. "I now remove Iolite in my grave from play to reclaim Gem-Knight Fusion once again, and send Tourmaline from my hand and Citrine on the field to the grave to Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Topaz." Fine orange armor and a pair of hooked, transparent blades. "Now, I remove Tourmaline in my grave from play and return Gem-Knight Fusion to my hand, sending all three of my Gem-Knight monsters on the field to the grave to Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Master Diamond."

Akira's three monsters joined, became one prismatic being, wielding a blade with seven gemstones embedded within it. "What the?!" Shino watched as her face-down cards were swept up off the field by a sudden tidal wave and back up into her hand. "Oh no you don't!" Shino activated Karakuri Retraction and switched Bureido to defense position, Akira would not get any battle damage against her.

"When Gem-Knight Amethyst is sent from the field to the grave, all set spells and traps on the field are returned to the hand." More and more cracks appeared in the ground around Akira. "Furthermore, Master Diamond's effect, by removing a level 7 or lower Gem-Knight in my grave from play, I can copy that monster's name and effect; thus, by removing Gem-Knight Topaz from play, Master Diamond gains its effect. In addition, for every Gem-Knight in the grave, Master Diamond gains 100 attack points; I have six right now, so that means that Master Diamond's attack power increases from 2900 to 3500." The topaz on Master Diamond's sword glowed, and the glow overtook the entire blade. "Topaz's effect makes it so that when Master Diamond destroys a monster by battle, I inflict damage to you equal to the destroyed monster's attack power."

Shino could only stare as Master Diamond sliced through Haipa and into her, she force of the blow slamming her against the wall and keeping her there. "Damn…" She could feel it, she wouldn't last much longer; she summoned up all the energy she had, she would send one last dispatch to Director Godwin…

"I'm not done with you yet." What? "Topaz's effect let's Master Diamond attack twice." Master Diamond cut through Bureido in one clean sweep, and the motion of the attack continued.

* * *

><p>Rex Godwin felt the twinge in his mind, and for a moment the pain of Shino's final moments flooded into his being. It passed. He dwelled on the message she'd given her life to send to him. "You have always been a valued asset to the City, and you will be remembered accordingly."<p>

* * *

><p>"This is the fate of all who oppose us." Divine said, waving his arm in the direction of Shino's remains. "Remember this and be strong, and we will prevail!"<p>

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><p>"Mikage." Jack said the moment he saw her eyes flutter open.<p>

She looked at him, barely able to move her head. "Jack…you're okay." That smile…

"Why?" Jack remained in his seat, he would not stand up, he would not raise his voice. "You could have been killed." As it was…

"If I hadn't, you would have been." She breathed in sharply. "Ever since that day when you dueled Aki, I thought to myself that I should have taken her final attack for you. I swore to myself that I wouldn't stand aside again."

"But why?" Jack kept his shaking fist down at his side. "I'd dismissed you, I'd lost my title, my pride, everything; Aki, Hayate, Tsubasa, all of them, they knew my sin, my hypocrisy…" Jack struggled to recover his voice. "Damn it Mikage, you…"

"I'm paralyzed from the waist down." Her voice was resigned, her head leaning back on her pillow. "I won't be able to protect you in the attack on the Arcadia Movement Headquarters."

"I…" He looked away from her. He stared down at his hands; years of bravado and speeches to the public, and now he couldn't speak? "I got Rally killed, Mikage, a child I rescued, a child who trusted me; you knew this, you were the one who found out, who told me, so why do you still believe in me?" He looked into her eyes, saw his own in hers; there was nothing left of the braggart that had been King of Riding Duels for two years. "What the hell do you see when you look at me?"

She breathed in softly, her chest rising. She exhaled. "Jack, before you, I was assigned as the bodyguard to a senator who'd been receiving death threats." Before him? How had he never considered her life before him? How myopically selfish was he? "The criminal attempted to make good on his threats, I stopped him…but he had an accomplice who'd gone after the senator's wife…I apprehended her, but I was already too late." She closed her eyes, her lids pressing out her tears. "I didn't realize it on a conscious level, but meeting you, seeing you for who you were, I recognized we were kindred spirits."

"…We've both failed those who trusted us."

"And no one particularly cared that I'd failed; my conduct was deemed sufficiently heroic that the bill the senator was being threatened over passed unanimously. I was used to push policy, at the expense of someone else's life." Mikage opened her eyes again. She looked into Jack's eyes. "Your greatest concern as the King was always to make people happy, not for the sake of placating the populace, but because you wanted to see their smiling faces." She smiled. "Do you understand now, Jack Atlas?" She pointed to her coat on the nearby stand, pointed to the pocket.

Jack got up, reached into the pocket. He took out Trust Guardian. "I do."


	35. Chapter 35

**Another Layer of the Truth**

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><p>"Godwin has requested your presence." Vice-Director Jaeger said as he entered the apartment, his eyes passing over Yusei, Jack, Ruka, and Setsuko. "Come with me." Yusei noted the absence of any threat or warning; the situation had become dire.<p>

"Is everyone ready?" Yusei turned to address his friends. Jack and Ruka presented him with their decks, revised and strengthened, while Setsuko studied an old picture of Aki from when she was little, younger than Ruka; it depicted a happy child awash in the love of her parents. Yusei presented his own deck, and everyone put their effects away.

"Very good." Jaeger turned around and walked out the door, leaving it to Yusei and the others to follow. They did, and upon entering the hall they saw numerous security officers lined up along the hall, stun-guns and handguns at the ready. They encountered no one else as they went down the hall, said nothing as the descended in the elevator, and when the doors opened again, the lobby was empty. They left the building and entered the limo and saw no traffic on the streets, no pedestrians on the sidewalk.

"Everyone's afraid." Ruka said, her eyes on the broken windows, the cracks in the sidewalk, the residue of conflicts between mobs and security forces.

"They have every reason to be." Jack said as they drove past where he'd dueled Tsubasa, where Mikage took the near fatal final blow for him.

"That is why you have been summoned." Jaeger said. "Director Godwin will explain your mission, you will fulfill that mission, and the peace and stability of the last Utopia on Earth will be restored." Jaeger then took out a picture of his family and just looked at it.

"They've been taken to a safe place." Jaeger looked up at the sound of Yusei's voice. "I would assume the same goes for everyone else around your rank."

"Are you implying that there is anywhere in Utopia that isn't safe?" Jaeger's eyes narrowed. "Are you implying that we do not have faith in your capabilities?" His eyes became slits. "Are you insinuating that you intend to betray us in favor of the Arcadia Movement?"

"I'm only observing, nothing more; so long as Godwin keeps his end, we will keep ours."

"You're certainly confident in your position." Jaeger fell silent and remained silent, as did everyone else on the drive to Security HQ. The silence continued as they walked up the steps, through the door, and into the elevator, seeing only those whose functions were absolutely essential.

"Vice-Director Jaeger." Setsuko said. "There is something I have been meaning to ask."

"What is it, Senator Ikeda?"

"Years ago, when my daughter was deceived by Divine, my husband told me that he'd pulled strings to have a criminal from the Satellite sentenced for execution to be delivered to him." Kiryu. "I also know that you were personally involved in bringing Jack Atlas here to the city." Jack showed no response.

"And you wish to know if I was similarly involved in the incident with your daughter?" Yusei turned to Setsuko; how had he not considered that possibility? Had he been premature in thinking he'd come to terms with Kiryu's death and the circumstances that had led up to it? "I can assure you, real life is nothing like a story; sometimes things just happen, nameless faceless bureaucrats exchange favors all the time, and in this instance it managed to infringe upon your life."

"Is that so?" Setsuko said while Yusei considered the possibility, and what it could mean if it were true; at the same time though, such a turn of events did seem too neat and clean to be something that could actually happen.

"In any event, we've now arrived." Indeed, Yusei had seen this doorway before, as had Jack; Setsuko and Ruka were both new here, but if they were intimidated by where they were and who lay beyond the door, they didn't show it. Jaeger entered first, and quickly paced his way to Rex Godwin's side as he sat behind his desk.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you for your timely arrival." Rex Godwin stood up, arms behind his back. "The sword of Damocles hangs over the last Utopia on Earth, the blade named the Arcadia Movement. Remove this threat today, retrieve the Fifth Dragon, and all will be well."

Yusei stepped forward. "Before you go any further, there is something you have to explain."

"Time is in short supply Yusei; are you sure you would like to squander it in this fashion?"

"Martha told me what my mother Miyuki told her about your brother, Rudger Godwin." Rex Godwin's eyes widened minutely, a muted reaction that spoke volumes. "I take it that Officer Nagisa hadn't mentioned that part in her report."

"No, she did not." Rex Godwin glared at Yusei. "You would no doubt like me to overlook her failure to file a complete and accurate report, wouldn't you?"

"That is the first of two requests I have of you before we take your mission." Yusei continued before Rex could respond. "I want to know the truth about your brother and Zero Reverse; Divine will undoubtedly present his own version of what happened, and I doubt you would like me to face him unarmed."

"…Your parents were desperate to see the fruition of their research, but they were not the only ones." Rex Godwin returned to his seat, Jaeger fidgeting uncomfortably at this turn of events. "I shall be thorough, to ensure that you will have no complaints as I tell you about my brother Rudger, the head of M.I.D.S."

* * *

><p>"Thank you for your time." Yuu Fudou said to the gathered group of young people before him. "I apologize that it didn't work out."<p>

"It's okay Dr. Fudou." The leader of the young people, a young woman with purple hair and numerous tattoos along her arms, said as she flexed her well-toned bicep. "One day Duel Academia will turn out someone who can draw out the power of that Dragon of yours."

"I hope so, Ms. Ryuga." Miyuki Fudou said as she returned the Fifth Dragon to its case; unique among all the myriad Synchro Monsters they'd created, the Five Dragons name and effects were blank, the image on the card a mere outline, all until they found the duelist that bore the mark of the dragon, the Dragon Birthmark. Four had been found, two male, two female, all young, all on standby for the moment when the fifth Signer was found.

"I see our Fifth Dragon is as uncooperative as ever." Rudger Godwin said, entering as the last of the test group left. "Rex, how close were they to awakening its power?" He addressed his younger brother as he went over the accumulated data.

"Ms. Ryuga was closest at 70%, but that was the highest she could get after weeks of testing." Rex Godwin said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "That's as high as any of them ever get."

"It's to be expected after all; we are trying to unlock infinite energy for all humanity. Even divided across five cards, we are still trying to create the power of God." Rudger sighed.

"Don't worry Rudger, we'll find the one." Miyuki said as she took his shoulder.

"I know we will." Rudger took his seat at the table, waited as his fellow scientists joined him. "It's just tiresome to have to keep explaining it to the board of directors."

"I can just imagine them." Yuu cleared his throat. "Listen up, Mr. Scientist." He was already getting snickers from the others. "We've been putting a lot of our money into your research, money we could be using to gold-plate our pet poodles." The snickers grew louder, but Yuu kept his face straight. "Why, if you don't start producing results, we'll have to stop feeding caviar to our goldfish!" Miyuki lost it, slamming her fist on the table as she lost her breath, it was little wonder the two of them were married. "Now then, we need to go swim in our money vaults, so be sure to call the ambulance when we all dive into bricks of solid gold!" Rex and Rudger were lost, inchoate with laughter. "What is this sound? I've never heard the like, perhaps my butler's butler's butler can tell us what it is!"

"Yuu!" Miyuki choked out, she started thumping her fist against her chest. "Enough!"

"Indeed!" Rex managed to say as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "It would be…poor form to kill your peers…a mere three weeks away from the…the five year anniversary of you and your wife joining the project." Rex cleared his throat, the others doing the same.

"Rest assured though, as your leader, I forgive you this attempt on our lives." Rudger said in the same pompous tone that Yuu had been using, getting a snort of laughter from the man. "In all seriousness now, have you two decided what you want to do for the anniversary? You already know that 'nothing' is not an acceptable answer, the rest of the staff beneath us won't hear of it."

"Please tell me you're making that up." Miyuki rubbed her temples.

"You should spend less time being den mother to everyone if you don't want them wanting the best for you all the time."

"I merely keep myself apprised of their personal situations so I can help them deal with their problems and focus on the task at hand, it's entirely practical I assure you."

"Oh?" Yuu smirked. "Are you saying that you only married me to keep me as productive as possible?"

"No dear, I married you for the sake of my productivity." They started looking in each other's eyes the way that they did, and Rex awkwardly looked to his older brother Rudger.

"Either way," Rudger said, reminding Yuu and Miyuki that they were not alone, "regardless of motives or reasons, there will be an anniversary celebration."

"If it's truly unavoidable…" Miyuki checked her PDA, went over her map of Domino City. "How about this place?" She passed her PDA to her husband.

"Domino Park?" Yuu looked quizzically at his wife.

"Hmm, why not?" Rudger said. "They say the original King of Games himself still goes there with his family every year; who knows, perhaps we'll run into him and maybe he or one of his children will be the Fifth Signer we've been looking for."

"If things work out that nicely, then someone up there is smiling down on us indeed." Rex said.

….

"Rudger!" Rex yelled as he saw his older brother… "Stop that at once, we're in public!"

"Oh lighten up Rex, it's just some cotton candy." Yes it was, and it was cotton candy all over his face, and on his chin, like some sticky beard from a small child's picture book.

"The head of M.I.D.S can't be seen looking so…"

"Relaxed?" Rudger said, laughing at Rex's consternation. "Look around you Rex, the rest of the research team is just like me, or even worse!" Indeed, there was even a female researcher on top of a male researcher's shoulders, directing him like he was some sort of horse.

"All the more reason why you should be setting a better example for them." Rex let out a belabored sigh. "I'm going to go find Yuu and Miyuki, they'll talk some sense into you." Assuming of course that Miyuki wasn't giving her husband a horse-ride in the middle of the pool or anything like that.

As Rex walked his way through Domino Park, he saw the mood all around him, heard everyone's elation, and yet somehow he couldn't feel it himself. Thoughts of how expensive it all was, how much energy was being consumed, energy that was being created by people who would never enjoy the fruits of their labor themselves. So long as the world was divided into haves and have-nots, it couldn't possibly last, something would eventually give and everything would fall into ruin. That was what they were trying to prevent, and yet no one but him seemed to fear the consequences if they failed…

"Rex?" He looked over to the right and saw Yuu and Miyuki enjoying some ice-cream; they at least didn't have it smeared all over their faces. "Is something the matter?" Miyuki stepped forward.

Rex scratched the back of his neck. "I know we're here to celebrate, but the sheer frivolity of it all, you'd think we'd already succeeded."

"So what you're saying," Yuu said, hand on his chin, "is that you need us to start bearing your palanquin, yes?" Yuu put his hands over his shoulders, then frowned. "I suppose that wasn't my best material, was it?" He let his arms drop.

"Forgive me Yuu…sometimes I just feel like I'm bearing this weight so the rest of you can be free to enjoy yourselves."

Yuu and Miyuki looked to one another, then back to Rex. "Well," Miyuki said, "we were planning to reveal this later today, but you look like you could stand to hear this right now."

"What do you mean?" Rex looked them both over, but their smiles said nothing beyond their joy.

"Miyuki and I, we now have every reason in the world to want this project to succeed." He put his hand over Miyuki's stomach.

Rex's eyes were as dinner plates. "When did you find out?"

Miyuki smiled. "Just the other day." She started rubbing her stomach. "We haven't settled on a name yet."

"I should hope not; this is your child, nothing about this should be rushed."

"Not even our research?" Yuu said, that confident smile on his face.

Rex chuckled. "You've made your point. I'll try to have my fun, for your kid's sake if nothing else."

….

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Mifune." Miyuki said from her seat.

"The pleasure was all mine Dr. Miyuki; I'm just sorry that I couldn't be the one to fulfill your wishes for your unborn child." The man bowed deeply, his long hair almost touching the ground.

"My child is a patient one, there is no need to hurry." Miyuki said as she rested her hand on her swollen stomach.

Mifune arose and departed, leaving Miyuki alone with Rex. "Hopefully when Rudger and Yuu get back, they'll be able to say there's no hurry too." Rex slicked his hair back. "70% again, that's all we can ever get, no matter how skilled or determined the duelist, that's the ceiling we keep encountering time and again."

Miyuki stood up, hefted herself up with a groan. "Are you thinking that there's some god out there that doesn't want us to succeed, that's trying to send us a message, a warning?"

"No, any god that couldn't bother to speak more directly or clearly is one I'd hold no stock in. We're just missing something, we've gathered all the data we can with the experiments we've done, unless we can come up with a hypothesis to explain why our theory is failing even now, this is where we'll remain."

"That does sound right." Dr. Miyuki motioned with her hand, and so Rex gave up his seat to her. "Let me see…" She scrolled through the data, page after page of it, eyes dancing across the monitor as she explored it all with her fingertips.

"Any luck?" Yuu said as he and Rudger entered.

Rex shook his head. Rudger responded in kind. "Sad to say, that's about what I expected; we've managed to renew our funding, but the margin is as thin as nanowire." Rudger walked behind Miyuki, looked over her shoulder. "70%, that's where they always peek with the Fifth Dragon."

"And even then, only a few get that high; 40% is the mode, with a mean of 55%." Yuu said, and soon all four eyes were upon the same set of data, each mind going over it in their own way to discover the missing piece.

"Wait…" Miyuki paused her scrolling. She then brought up the profiles of the four Signers that they'd found. "You were right Rex, we needed a new hypothesis to explain why we've failed, and to come up with that, we need to look at our successes."

"Couldn't hurt." Rudger said. "It would at least provide a morale boost to remind ourselves of our success in the face of the challenge before us."

"Aichi Takahashi, the Signer who unlocked the Stardust Dragon card." Yuu read off the screen. "According to this, before he came here he spent his time as a volunteer for various organizations working to help the poor and disadvantaged throughout the world, and the Dragon Birthmark on his arm is in the shape of a tail."

"Then we have Akira Katsuragi, the one to unlock Red Demon's Dragon; he was a professional boxer before becoming a duelist, and managed to win the middle-weight championship on his first go." Rex continued down the line. "His Dragon Birthmark is a pair of wings."

"Emi Kageyama, the one to unlock Ancient Fairy Dragon." Rudger said, "She comes from a long line of Shinto priests and is the last living member of her family. She has a Dragon Birthmark in the shape of a claw."

"And then we have Misaki Yoshida." Miyuki ceased her scrolling. "She has an extensive criminal record as a vigilante, and ended up unlocking the Black Rose Dragon and thus obtained a claw for her Dragon Birthmark." She rolled her chair away from the monitor and turned around, deep in thought. "Stardust protects, Red Demon's overwhelms, Ancient Fairy changes the field, and Black Rose destroys everything."

"That's it." Yuu brought his hands together. "The Fifth Signer, the Fifth Dragon, they're the ones who connect and lead the others as the Head of the dragon that we've been creating all this time."

"So we can't just test the new applicants in isolation, we need to have them work with the other Signers we've already gathered." Rudger said, rubbing his chin. "Intriguing."

"It's more than intriguing, it's the first time we've had any hope of success in a long time." Rex's eyes were gleaming, just like they'd been when he and his brother had first joined the Momentum Project, like when Rudger became the head of that project. "Miyuki, what inspired you to look at the profiles like this?"

She smiled softly. "It occurred to me to think on what we already have, and the possibilities already in our grasp." With that she wrapped her arms around her stomach. "Yuu, I think I have a name for our child."

"Oh?" Yuu broke out a crooked smile. "It wouldn't happen to be something like AiKiMiKi TaTsuYaDa, would it?"

….

"Hello Yusei." Yuu said Miyuki gave birth to their son. "You entered this world wet, naked, and screaming, and with any luck that's how you'll leave it."

"Dear, I'm very weak at the moment." Miyuki said, her body awash in sweat. "Let your son have some comfort as he greets us all."

"That's right Yuu." Rudger said, patting his comrade on the shoulder. "You keep those jokes up, and your son's going to grow up thinking of you as a corny old man."

"Of course," Rex said as he looked upon the screaming, squealing child the doctor was cleaning up as they spoke, "even if he does, he'll have to recognize your part in changing the world."

"That's right." Miyuki held her arms out and received her child, bundled up and quiet as she brought him to her chest. "We're almost there Yusei; just a little more, and you'll be the first to see a brand new world."

….

"This isn't nearly enough time!" Rudger practically roared, Rex didn't know what to make of it, neither did Yuu or Miyuki.

"You said you were close to achieving fruition, did you not?" The Head of the Board of Directors said with affected disinterest; while Rex did not pay much attention to the individual members, he knew that the current head was new to his position, and all too often people put into positions of power sought to sabotage the work of their predecessors.

"But three weeks…" Rudger kept his shaking fist down at his side. "…That's only time enough for one last round of experiments, if that! The duelists we need are scattered all around the globe and they all have their own obligations they have to deal with, and forcing them to come early against their will would compromise the experiment."

"Please reconsider sir." Yuu said, and he and Miyuki bowed together. "Our son was just born, and we promised him he would see a brand new world."

"Just six more months, we should be able to find the Fifth Signer in that time." Miyuki said.

"…Four weeks." The Head of the Board of Directors spoke again with the same affected disinterest. "That is all you will get; any further objections, and your time and your funding will be gone entirely."

"Thank you for your wisdom, sir." Rex said, bowing alongside Yuu and Miyuki while Rudger kept his back unbent. "We won't disappoint you."

….

"Ms. Ryuga, are you absolutely certain you won't be able to make it before then?" Rex watched his brother speak to the female duelist over the video-phone.

"Sorry, my older brother's getting married at Uluru rock formation here in Australia and I simply can't miss it."

"That's okay…if you came distracted and unfocused, there wouldn't be any point to it. I hope your brother will be happy."

"So do I, and I hope your experiment will pull through." With that, the heavily tattooed young woman hung up.

"She was the last one, wasn't she?" Rex said, hand hovering over his older brother's shoulder.

"Unfortunately; just like Yuu and Miyuki, they all have lives of their own and can't devote themselves entirely to the project, the only exceptions being ourselves and the four Signers we already have." Rudger stood up. "90%...we actually got all the way to 90%, and now everything will be shut down before we can figure out who the Fifth Signer is."

"We still have three weeks left, we'll think of something, we always do."

"I hope so…"

….

"Rudger!" Yuu's voice shook as he took in what Rudger had just done, had just tried to do without the rest of them knowing. "What the hell is this?"

"Please, Yuu, you have to understand, we can't let the project fail." Rex said, interposing himself between Yuu and Rudger. He could see Miyuki through the glass, working away at trying to shut down the program that Rudger had started.

"Aichi, Akira, Emi, and Misaki, you would sacrifice their lives for a project that was supposed to put an end to sacrifice once and for all?!" The bodies of the four signers were slumped over the consoles that their respective Dragons were inserted into, the flesh that bore their Dragon Birthmarks cut out and stitched onto Rudger's body.

"I accept that what I'm doing is wrong, and will bear my punishment without regret when all is said and done, but your son will grow up in the world that we've worked so hard to create for him."

"Rudger, you have to stop!" Miyuki called out over the intercom. "The synchronization rate is now at 95%, but the system is extremely unstable! By yourself your body won't be able to handle the strain, if you don't stop this now you could easily destroy everything!"

"I am well aware of the risks!" Rudger shouted. "I tried and I tried to come up with some other option, anything more sensible than this mad and panicked dash, but this is the only option that's been left to us."

"Please, Yuu, Miyuki." Rex lowered his arms. "Please, trust in my brother, it's the only chance we have to pull through."

Everyone stood and stared, and then the sound of a heartbeat started echoing throughout the room. They saw Rudger convulsing, and they realized it was his heartbeat. "Just…just a little more…" The once blank card on the console was shining brilliantly, the lines were beginning to fill in.

"99%..." Miyuki breathed, as they all did.

Then Rudger flailed, the sound of bones cracking on themselves filling the room. Everything began to shake, to break, to shatter and crack. "Brother!" Rex cried out as he cradled Rudger in his arms; he was vaguely aware that Yuu and Miyuki were talking to one another, but he heard nothing of what they were saying, whatever it was meant nothing at all.

"I'm sorry Rex…" Rudger hacked up blood. "This is how these stories always turn out, isn't it?" Around them everything was falling apart. "We always think we'll be the exception, the ones who won't make the fatal mistake…"

"Brother…"

"Get out of here…live…I'm your older brother, so do…what I…say…" Rudger breathed his last, and when Rex stood up, all he could see was the path before him, and he took it.

He'd made it out just in time to see the devastation spreading all around, saw the land crack and divide before a piece of rubble fell and crushed his arm. He tore himself out, and staunched the bleeding; he would survive, just as Rudger had told him to.

* * *

><p>"There you have it Yusei; you now know what Divine knows, the secret that he's used to blackmail me into providing him whatever he needed." Rex Godwin, Director of Security for Neo-Domino City, then examined his monitor. "And in the time I have taken to tell you all this, Divine's forces have begun their attack." Rex stood up, took out a briefcase. "The three of you will attach these to your Duel Discs." Rex opened up the case to reveal three pads. "They will react to the presence of the Fifth Dragon, or the Fifth Signer if Divine has managed to find and awaken them."<p>

"Understood." Yusei said, and the three of them did as they were told. Then they turned and left, ready to begin their battle.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: <strong>The names of the four "original" signers are references; anyone who can catch the references gets a cookie...or failing that, a fic request of their choice.


	36. Chapter 36

**Reverse Fate, the King is Reborn!**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> During the final turn of the duel, I would highly recommend that you go onto youtube and search for "gss reverse rebirth" and play the first video that shows up, as I think the song is very fitting for Jack Atlas at this point in the story. That said, onto the story!

* * *

><p>"He's coming." Aki Izayoi said to Divine as her Dragon Birthmark glowed brightly on her arm.<p>

"Yes; Godwin's sent him here to stop us, to stop me, to stop you." Divine walked up to Aki. "Yusei has aligned himself to Godwin, has made deals with him, and is coming here to execute Godwin's will." Divine put his hands on Aki's shoulders. "You won't let him get away with that Aki, not after everything that this City, that Godwin has done to you."

"No." Aki was breathing hard. "This city must pay." Visions of all those cold eyes hateful eyes, all those people who didn't care that she had to duel lest her power destroy herself. "I will make it pay."

"That's right Aki; you will gather the rage generated in this battle, with every life lost you will their anger and fury and make it your own, and once you have it all, you will at last be able to unleash your curse on everyone who's made you suffer for existing." Divine sighed, gently cupped Aki's face. "Please be careful Aki; gathering so much power will be taxing for your body."

"I will, Divine." He smiled and let go of Aki. She bowed to him and departed.

"Akira." Divine turned to the other person in the room, smiled at the harsh look in Akira's eyes. "You will destroy anyone who attempts to interrupt Aki. No exception. It's what she would want."

Akira formed a manic smile on his face. "Absolutely, Lord Divine." Akira clenched his fist, shook it before his face. "Anyone who dares touch her will be crushed to a pulp." He turned and left, following after Aki.

"Finally, Rua." Divine watched the young boy practically jump out of his skin. "Soon you will be reunited with your sister, and you will be able to show her how much stronger you've become."

"You bet, Lord Divine; Ruka's going to see how much I've changed, and she'll realize that with your help, we'll finally get the truth about our parents from that bastard Jaeger." He brought his fist and palm together, laughing at the thought of dueling the Vice-Director. "That smug bastard won't know what hit him."

"None of them will, Rua." He did not discourage Rua by pointing out that Godwin and Jaeger were both far too capable to considered smug, but it was a thought he kept in mind at all times. "Just do your best."

Rua nodded and grinned at Divine. "You can count on me!" Rua jammed his thumb into his chest and took off.

Divine sat down at his desk, turned on the PA system. "Attention everyone, I want you all to know how very proud I am of you; today we are finally fighting our oppressors head on, the people who spurned us and our gifts, tossed us aside the way they do with all those who don't meet their arbitrary standards. Stay strong, don't give up, and we will be victorious." He turned it off.

"Lord Divine." He heard Hayate's voice in his head. "I'm on my way back."

"Very good." Everything was in place, all was prepared and accounted for. "If you should encounter Jack along the way…"

Divine could see the scowl in his mind's eye. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't get away again."

* * *

><p>"Yusei." He looked back at Ruka in the seat that had been added to his D-Wheel at her request. "It's worse than we thought."<p>

"What do you mean?" Both his and Ruka's arms burned with the glow of their Dragon Birthmarks, they'd been glowing ever since they left Godwin's office. He could feel the pain, he recognized it as Aki's, but it was hazy, much hazier than it was at the Fortune Cup.

"Everytime someone dies, the hate on both sides increases, and each time a little more…" Ruka breathed hard. "…A little more goes to Aki."

Yusei felt his throat clench. "We'll get to her Ruka, don't worry." Yusei accelerated his D-Wheel as he took to the corner, Jack and the rest of their escort doing the same; some of Godwin's officers were duelists, there was even Daichi from the Fortune Cup on a massive D-Wheel that only someone of his frame could have ridden; he made sure to keep Ruka as far from him as possible. The majority though, were just regular officers armed with guns, and from the radio reports they were getting, conventional weapons were not doing well against Divine's Psychic Duelists.

"Look at it Yusei." Jack rode up next to Yusei and Ruka and pointed at the Arcadia Movement Headquarters; blasts of fire, lightning, earth, light, water, and darkness created craters all along the ground around it, the sounds reaching them with considerable delay, piling up on one another in frenetic cacophony, the hum of helicopters barely audible. His arm was aglow, his Dragon Birthmark clear even through his sleeves. "Over two years ago I thought that Neo-Domino City was paradise, Utopia, that all I had to do was get here and I would never…"

"We all did, Jack." Yusei knew that he and Jack were seeing Kiryu, both when they'd first met him, and the last time they ever saw him.

"Even so, until you came after me, I was blind to what was happening behind the veil. Godwin and his cronies may have been deceiving me, but I let them do so without complaint. If Mikage hadn't confirmed what you'd said about Rally…" Jack's voice drifted off.

"I have connections." Setsuko drove up next to Jack. "You saved my life in the Satellite, and Mikage made sure you could do that; giving her a chance at new legs is the least I can do for you."

"A kind gesture to be sure…"

"But unworthy of the King, right?!" Everyone's attention was drawn to the man racing down the highway at them, just as they were on the verge of reaching the battlefield; his D-Wheel was slim and black, covered in patterns like scales and feathers. "Sorry Jack, but you're not reclaiming that title, now or ever!"

"Hayate!" Jack roared as he accelerated ahead of everyone. "Everyone!" He spun around to face everyone as he continued to drive backwards. "I'll see you at the Arcadia Movement Headquarters!" He turned back around and forced Hayate down a side road, allowing the rest of the group to advance as planned.

* * *

><p>"I've been thinking about our last match, Jack." Hayate said as they roared down the highway side by side, neck and neck. "I know where I went wrong, and I won't make the same mistake again."<p>

"As though my duel hasn't advanced since that day." Jack pulled ahead of Hayate as they rounded the corner. "The man you dueled that day was the same fool from before he'd ever left the Satellite." Jack drew his cards. "That man was killed by your comrade, and the one facing you today is a duelist unlike any you've ever encountered before!" Jack spun to face his opponent. "I summon Dark Resonator in defense, and end my turn!"

"Turn 2, Jack Atlas: 4000 life points, Hayate: 4000 life points."

Jack twisted himself around to face forward. He saw Hayate getting closer and closer out of the corner of his eye. "Words Jack, that's all you are, all you ever were; that's why Godwin wanted you to replace me, I got sick of spewing the script his monkeys wrote for me day in and day out." Hayate drew his card. "A desperate fool like you was exactly what Godwin wanted, someone who would never dare look where he wasn't supposed to." Hayate grimaced. "It all worked out in the end, but when you're trapped in a narrow alleyway, cornered by a half-dozen armed Security officers, you think you've screwed up your life something fierce." The grimace turned into a grin. "Oh, but what I learned about myself that night…I activate the Field Spell card Dragon Ravine." The buildings on either side of the road became steep rock walls, and the helicopters overhead became dragons that roared intermittently. "Next, I activate the permanent spell card Dragon Mastery." All the dragons in the sky roared as one. "Now you will witness my true power."

"As you said before, those are only words; let your cards speak for themselves!" Jack looked all around, but could see nothing of Neo-Domino City. He knew it was there though, he knew that they were still in the real world, and that was the key to everything.

"Then I summon Dragunity Corsesca." A pale bronze-scaled dragon appeared, long blue-horn and plating along its skull. "By sending Dragunity Corsesca to the grave, I can special summon Dragunity Arma Mystletainn from my hand." A gold plated dragon with two sets of wings, one scaled and one feathered, and a shining-sword with one edge with which to deliver its 2100 attack points. "When normal or special summoned, Arma Mystletainn's effect allows it to equip a Dragon-type Dragunity monster to itself from the grave." Arma Mystletainn dragged its sword along the ground, cutting open a hole for Corsesca to climb up out of and become a thrusting dagger for Arma Mystletainn to wield in its other hand. "This activates the first of Dragon Mastery's two effects; when a monster I control is equipped with a Dragunity monster, that monster gains 500 attack points." Hayate's monster spun about and flared its wings out as its attack power increased to 2600. "Now, I'll activate the effect of Dragon Ravine; once per turn I can discard a card from my hand and activate one of two effects, which for now will be to add a level-4 or lower Dragunity Monster from my deck to my hand." Feathers were scattered across the battlefield as Hayate's new card jutted out from the middle of his deck. "And now I activate Dragon Mastery's second effect; once per turn I can select one monster I control, and equip that with a dragon-type Dragunity monster from my hand." Hayate dashed ahead of Jack. "Arma Mystletainn, equip yourself with Dragunity Brandistock!"

Hayate's monster held aloft its sword, and a fat blue-armored dragon appeared, folding up and slotting itself onto Arma Mystletainn's back. Hayate's monster charged and brought both its blades together and down on Dark Resonator. "Four cards, and in the end you could do nothing against my Dark Resonator, which once per turn can't be destroyed by battle." Dark Resonator parried with its hammer and tuning fork, giggling as it grinned.

"You underestimate my arsenal; when equipped with Brandistock, I may attack twice in the battle phase." Hayate's monster spun about, and this time its blades struck true. "Furthermore, this activates Corsesca's effect, allowing me to add a monster of the same type and attribute as the equipped monster from the deck to my hand." This card came from near the bottom. "There's a reason I was the former King, Jack. This level of unity and cohesion, this power of choice from my deck and grave, it's something that a puppet of Godwin like you could never grasp. Godwin feared this power of mine alongside what I'd found out, and so he tried to have me eliminated. How fortunate for me and Divine that my powers awoke when they did." Hayate then ended his turn.

"Turn 3, Jack: 4000 life points, Hayate: 4000 life points."

"Why don't you just cut to the chase and tell me what it was you found out? You wouldn't keep alluding to it if you didn't think it would have an effect on me." Despite the bluster, Jack was curious; for Godwin to try and have the old King killed instead of just paying him off for an early retirement was strange absent some important piece of information.

"Not yet; when you're on the verge of defeat, when you've undeniably realized what sort of worm you are, that's when I'll tell you."

Jack grunted as he gunned his way around Hayate. "I suppose even you couldn't shake off the King's role entirely." Jack drew his card. "I discard a level 3 monster to special summon Power Giant from my hand at level 3." Jack's monster looked like a garish, brightly colored robot with pastel gems jutting out of its arms, shoulders, and knees. "Then I summon Dark Bug and activate its effect to special summon a level-3 tuner monster from my grave with its effect negated. Come back, Dark Resonator!" A set of blocks appeared, and long spindly legs extended out from it, reaching down into the ground to drag Dark Resonator back from the grave. "I now tune my level 3 Power giant and my level 1 Dark Bug to my level 3 Dark Resonator." Three rings passed over four stars. "The beating pulse of the new ruler, show the chaos inside yourself! Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Demon Chaos King!" A slim blue figure appeared next to Jack, fiery wings spread out to catch the wind. "Demon Chaos King may appear to have the same attack power as your monster, but when it attacks, I can switch your monsters attack and defense power! Go forth and show this fool that he has no idea who he's facing!"

Jack's monster flapped its wings, the flames washing over Hayate's monster, forcing it into an ineffectual defensive posture. Then Demon Chaos King flapped hard and punched right through Arma Mytsletainn's chest for 600 points of damage. "Such a conceited move; Power Giant and Dark Bug, everything about them shows what kind of duelist you really are, an immature fool still posturing with his toys, the same as with his countless fans."

"Say whatever you like, it won't work." Not anymore, he had faced those demons and would defeat them before his enemies could ever use them against him again. "I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 4, Jack Atlas: 4000 life points, Hayate: 3400 life points."

Jack and Hayate reached an intersection, and Jack chose the right-hand path, forcing Hayate to follow him there. "My turn." Hayate drew his card. "Here is the next step in the power that Lord Divine recognized as kindred to his own; I activate Trade-In and discard a level 8 monster in my hand to draw two cards. Then, I activate Dragon Ravine's effect and discard one card to add Dragunity Aklys to my hand. You remember that card, don't you Jack?" Jack did recall it and the devastating power it held; try as he might, he could not help finding himself back in that place, and once there he felt the memories pulling back at him, clawing at him, catching on his coat.

"Be patient," Jack said as he saw a familiar streak of red hair. "You'll see my answer soon." Rally's red hair was joined by Mikage's blue.

"I summon Dragunity Aklys," Hayate's grin showed only a superficial understanding of the memories he'd provoked, "and activate its effect, special summoning Dragunity Primus Pilus from my hand and equipping Aklys to it." Aklys shrieked, and a man in a bird suit with a massive shield slung over its back snapped a whip, turning Aklys into a javelin for it to wield. "Furthermore, when Primus Pilus is summoned to the field, I equip it with a level-3 or lower dragon-type Dragunity monster from my deck. Come out and be my new arms, Dragunity Pilum." Now Primus Pilus was equipped with two javelins. "Finally, I remove Dragunity Primus Pilus from play to special summon Dragunity Arma Leyvaten from my grave."

Jack spent only a moment wondering when Hayate's monster had been sent to the grave, but seeing the eight stars that marked its level, he realized that it was the card that he'd added to his hand on the first turn with Dragon Ravine, and used for Trade-In's effect. "And now comes Aklys's effect." It of course went after his face-down card, Power Frame, which could negate an attack and grant his monster attack points equal to what Hayate had brought to bear in his monster.

"You do remember, just as you remember what you did and why you were chosen by Godwin, just as I remember what I'd done and why I was chosen by Lord Divine." Hayate was about to continue going straight when Jack took the left-hand turn, forcing him to do the same. "Now Arma Leyvaten's effect activates." Hayate's monster, a draconic creature with large and prominent orange feathered wings and small scaled wings on its hips, roared so powerfully that the echoes crashed all around them as they drove by. "When summoned, I can take one Dragon-type monster in my grave and equip it to Arma Leyvaten; be my blade, Brandistock!" As before, Brandistock equipped itself to the back of Hayate's monster. "Now, with Dragon Mastery, I equip Dragunity Phalanx from my hand to Arma Leyvaten, and activate its effect to special summon itself to the field." Small and weak though it was, Arma Leyvaten's partner was a grave cause for concern. "Arma Leyvaten, attack Demon Chaos King, and restore order to this world."

"You think to restore order, after everything you and the rest of the Arcadia Movement has been pulling?" Jack ignored the 500 points of damage he took, his body well acquainted with the shock of psychic power channeled through the cards.

"Yes, we do!" Hayate yelled as he almost rammed into Jack's D-Wheel; for a moment Hayate was going to dictate their next turn, but Jack managed to scrape against a wall and reclaim control. "No, not restore, provide it for the first time! Even in Neo-Domino City, the seeming of peace has always been a lie, the wool that Godwin's pulled over the eyes of the people he's supposed to protect!" Hayate pulled away.

"Is that what you found out then, what Godwin tried to kill you over?" Jack laughed.

"Mock me if you will, but if people had any idea what the crime rates in this city really were, even in the heights of the Tops District, you'd understand why Godwin couldn't risk my survival. Now, Arma Leyvaten, deliver your second attack!"

"Not now! In response to your direct attack, I special summon Battle Fader and end the battle phase." Both duelists were now side by side.

"I remember not so long ago watching a duel of yours, where you allowed your opponent to get an attack in that you could have blocked, simply to keep the crowd excited. I'm glad to see that you won't underestimate me the way you did with your other opponents back then."

"That is only the first difference you've seen so far, the first that you've realized. You still haven't realized the second, and the third has yet to be brought into play." Now Jack saw Kiryuu alongside Rally and Mikage.

"I'll keep my eye out, but I really doubt it will be that impressive. In any case, I end my turn."

"Turn 5, Jack Atlas: 3500 life points, Hayate: 3400 life points."

"My turn." Jack drew his card. "I activate the spell card Resonator Call to add Sealed Resonator from my deck to my hand, and summon it to the field." Jack's monster looked a great deal like Dark Resonator, only with heavy chains wrapped all around its squat little body. "I now tune my level 1 Battle Fader to my level 3 Sealed Resonator." Three rings spun about a single star. "The blade forged in the blackest pit, the justice fought for amidst tyranny! Synchro Summon! Stand up, Balmung Fighter of the Demon World!" Black armor with gold linings and a great sword held against the shoulder with one hand, Balmung glared at Dragunity Phalanx with the full force of its 2100 attack points. "Battle!" Balmung spiraled as it swung its sword about, cleaving up into Phalanx's body for 1600 points of damage.

"That was a lot of damage, but now your own monster lies vulnerable to Arma Leyvaten's reprisal."

"Oh, is that so?" Jack smirked as the chains appeared around Arma Leyvaten. "When Sealed Resonator is used as the material for a Synchro Summon, I target one monster you control and prevent it from attacking or changing battle position so long as it is on the field. Now I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 6, Jack Atlas: 3500 life points, Hayate: 1800 life points."

Hayate drew his card, the only sound the hum of their engines as they took another turn to the right. "Jack, when my powers manifested that day, when I realized that slowly but surely I would be destroyed by those powers, Divine found me; he told me something, something he'd never shared with anyone else before." Everything became dark. "At the orphanage he grew up in, the nuns who ran it made a good show, but one time he found them beating a child who'd been insubordinate, holding him down as they struck him, claiming they were ridding him of the devil's presence in the child. Lord Divine's powers awoke then, and ever since he's used them to defend the oppressed that our society pretends don't exist. This is why I duel, this is why I dedicate my power, my life to the Arcadia Movement, to reveal the truth about this corrupt world!" Hayate hammered down on the accelerator, looked back over his shoulder at Jack. "You who fight to defend Godwin's tyranny, are doomed to fail! Now I activate my spell card, Advance Draw and sacrifice a level 8 monster I control to draw two cards." Arma Leyvaten roared impotently as it vanished. "Next, I activate the spell card Dragunity Scales to special summon a dragon-type Dragunity monster from my grave with its effect negated; come back, Dragunity Pilum!" The monster that had been brought out of the deck by Primus Pilus's effect was back on the field. "And now I activate Winged Vanguard; when I control a dragon-type monster, I can special summon a winged-beast type monster from my grave in defense position with its effect negated. Come back, Dragunity Angusticlavi!" Jack realized it must have been discarded for Dragon Ravine's effect. As both monsters flanked Hayate, the darkness grew deeper, forcing Jack to focus more and more on the path in his mind's eye. "I tune my level 5 Dragunity Angusticlavi to my level 3 Dragunity Pilum." More and more light was absorbed into the stars and rings of the summoning process. "The lance that is wielded for the people, the blade that cuts through lies and deception! Synchro Summon! Come to our rescue, Dragunity Knight Barcha!"

It was as though Dragunity Pilum had aged and grown into a huge and fierce beast, and Angusticlavi stood on the head of that monstrosity, riding and guiding it to devour its enemies. "When summoned, I equip Dragunity Knight Barcha with every possible dragon-type Dragunity monster from my grave. Return to me; Brandistock, Pilum, Aklys, and Javelin!" Hayate's monsters all gathered onto Barcha's back, each digging in with their claws. "For every Dragunity monster equipped to Barcha, my monster gains 300 attack points, and with Dragon Mastery's effect added in, that brings Dragunity Knight Barcha from 2000 attack points to 3700!" Dragunity Knight Barcha whipped its tail out and caused some rubble to fall. "Pilum allows me to attack directly for half damage, and Brandistock allows me to attack twice, so in combination I'll be able to finish you off directly." Hayate grinned. "Just like last time, I was in position to finish you off with a direct attack, but this time I won't fall for your bluff. This time, for Lord Divine and the Arcadia Movement, for all my fellow Psychic Duelists, I shall aim straight at you!"

Dragunity Knight Barcha unleashed not only its own breath weapon, but that of all the monsters equipped to it, five deadly streams that slammed into Jack. His D-Wheel spun out and slid up against a wall, grinding against it, almost sheering off the plating entirely.

Then he saw the last turn he needed to make, and pushing both himself and the Wheel of Fortune to the limit, he made it. He watched as Dragunity Knight Barcha pursued, prepared to deliver another direct attack. "Trap card activate, Catching the Blade!" As Barcha unleashed its second attack, Balmung tossed aside its sword and grabbed hold of Bracha's open maw. "When I'm targeted with a direct attack, I can destroy one monster I control to negate that attack, and then draw one card." Balmung's body was consumed as Jack drew his card. "Furthermore, when Balmung is destroyed by a card effect, I can special summon a level-4 or lower monster from my grave." Jack clenched his fist. "Return from the grave, Trust Guardian!" The monster he'd discarded to special summon Power Giant was on the field now, blue vestment with pink wings and red helmet.

"I suppose I'll have to wait and find out what you can do with that monster; I end my turn."

"Turn 7, Jack Atlas: 1650 life points, Hayate: 1800 life points."

"My turn." As Jack drew his card, he saw the corners of Mikage's mouth tighten up. "Since I have less than 2000 life points, I now special summon The Boundless Dead from my hand, and tune that level 5 monster to my level 3 Trust Guardian." The desiccated, mummified figure had only a moments existence before Trust Guardian's three rings transformed it into five stars. "The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Demon's Dragon!" Red Demon's Dragon then curved its wings around Jack, serving as his vanguard in defense position. "I set one card, and end my turn!"

"Turn 8, Jack Atlas: 1650 life points, Hayate: 1800 life points."

"That's all you could manage, summoning that beatstick of yours?" Hayate did not grin. "Whatever effect that Trust Guardian gave it, it won't matter, because I'm still attacking directly!"

"Wrong again! I activate my trap card, Noble Soul!" Jack's Dragon Birthmark burned especially bright, and for an instant both duelists saw Mikage standing on Red Demon's Dragon's back. "By equipping this card to one defense position monster I control, you must attack that monster to the exclusion of all other targets. Furthermore, Trust Guardian's effect allows me to reduce Red Demon's Dragon's attack power by 400 to prevent its destruction." The scales on the right wing cracked. Dragunity Knight Barcha attacked again, damaging the left wing. "But, so long as this card is in play, I can't attack."

"Not much use then, is it? All I have to do is keep attacking until you can't use Trust Guardian's effect, and then you'll be wide open. Furthermore, according to Red Demon's Dragon's own effect, any other monster you control that doesn't attack will be destroyed." Hayate grinned. "Rather telling, isn't it? You try to be a protector and all you can manage is destroying all others around you like you always have Jack. That's what made you so perfectly suited as the King for Neo-Domino City, but that city is going to fall this day, and you with it! I summon Dragunity Darkspear and end my turn."

"Turn 9, Jack Atlas: 1650 life points, Hayate: 1800 life points."

Jack drew his card, Boost Warrior, which could do nothing for him…and yet, he knew, just as sure as the road he was driving down on, this was part of his path to victory. "I end my turn."

"Turn 10, Jack Atlas: 1650 life points, Hayate: 1800 life points."

"My turn, and I summon Dragunity Knight Millitum from my hand, activating its effect to special summon Dragunity Javelin from my spell/trap zone, freeing a space to activate my spell card Focused Assault; for every monster I sacrifice, I grant one monster I control an additional attack this turn. I sacrifice Darkspear, Millitum, and Javelin, granting Dragunity Knight Barcha a grand total of five attacks!" Again and again and again and again and again Dragunity Knight Barcha hammered away at Red Demon's Dragon, leaving its claws chipped, its fangs shattered, its scales broken, horns snapped off, and chest gaping open, yet somehow Jack's monster held onto life. "Next turn Jack, I attack and destroy your monster, and then I'll aim straight at you. I end my turn."

"Turn 11, Jack Atlas: 1650 life points, Hayate: 1800 life points."

Jack looked straight ahead, his eyes on his goal. "Hayate, do you have any idea where we are now? The path we've been taking?"

"What do you mean?" Hayate's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Your Field Spell card may have concealed it from our eyes, but this city has been burned into my heart, and so I've guided us past the most heavily inhabited parts of the city, and even the official news station, all to make sure that all eyes would be on us and nothing else."

"So what? That just means that when you lose, everyone will know it in an instant."

"No." Jack felt the pounding in his arm, his Signer mark was surging with power. "You keep prattling on about how you and Divine witnessed the sins of this city, acting as though you were apart from it, capable of judging as though you bore nothing on your own soul. As you've pointed out more than once, I'm completely different; I've done terrible, thoughtless, careless things, betrayed the trust of everyone I knew back in the Satellite and took for granted what I'd gained through that sin."

"And what do you hope to do by admitting all this? Do you expect people to feel sorry for you?"

"Of course not; the people, both of the Satellite and the City, deserve more than weak, indulgent, entitled expectations of forgiveness from me." Jack's arm shook as he brought it over his deck, throbbing with his power as a Signer. "They deserve the King who will fight for all their smiles without exclusion, who remembers that he is for the people, all the people!" He put his hand down on the top-card of his deck, felt his hand burn at the contact. "Here and now, I reverse my fate, and will be reborn as the True King of Riding Duels!" A fiery trail followed the path of the card that Jack drew. "I now summon the tuner monster Salvation Dragon – Savior Dragon, and then activate Boost Warrior's effect to special summon itself to the field!" Rally's face, Kiryuu's face, they were smiling in his mind's eye as the pink dragon took to the field. "I now tune my level 1 Boost Warrior and level 8 Red Demon's Dragon to my level 1 Savior Dragon."

Crimson light flooded the streets, the skies, everyone saw it no matter where they were in the City or the Satellite. "A lone single polished light, become the true high-ruler and illuminate the Earth! Shine your light! Synchro Summon! The great soul, Savior Demon Dragon!" Long and serpentine with four great feathered wings, the aura it carried was nevertheless that of Jack's very soul. "Now bear witness to this miracle created by the Signer's power, wielded right and true! I activate Savior Demon Dragon's effect, and negate your monster's effect and gain attack power equal to your monster's until the end phase." Savior Demon Dragon flew circles around Dragunity Knight Barcha, trailing the same crimson light that poured off Jack's Dragon Birthmark. "Now with your monster's effect negated, Dragunity Knight Barcha now has only 2500 attack points, while Savior Demon Dragon's attack power increases to 6500. Savior Demon Dragon, show this fool the real power of the Kings' soul!"

Jack's monster unleashed its crimson breath, destroying Dragunity Knight Barcha even before the moment of direct contact. Yet, when the blast slammed into Hayate, he felt no pain. "What is this?" The sensation washing over him, he had no name for it.

"It is the King's mercy, your salvation." Both riders came to a stop, and when Dragon Ravine vanished, they found themselves back in front of the Arcadia Movement Headquarters. "Do not squander this opportunity."

Hayate slumped over on his bike, exhausted. "Why?"

Jack did not respond; the smile he saw on Mikage's face in his mind's eye was a private one that he would keep with him as he made his way up the steps on the Wheel of Fortune.


	37. Chapter 37

**Cosmic Connections Between Two Minds**

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> During the final turn of this chapter's duel, I recommend that you go onto youtube and search for "Kamen Rider Fourze Cosmic Mind" and click on the first video listed, as I think the song works really well for Ruka.

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><p>The moment Ruka, Yusei, and Setsuko ran through the front doors, they were confronted by the cacophony of battle; bullets and explosions and the clashing of swords and spears and claws and fangs, screams and concrete cracking and wood splintering and plastic shattering and circuits shorting and fabric tearing and bodies falling to the ground one after another. They ran through that din of madness when Ruka suddenly lost her balance, her sense of balance flipped upside-down. "Ruka!" She heard Yusei yell, but it was coming from everywhere at once and it was everything Ruka could do to keep from getting caught in the crossfire of the many battles happening all around her.<p>

"Ruka, this way!" it sounded like Setsuko's voice, but Ruka's ears were ringing so badly that she couldn't be sure. Then she felt an impulse from her Dragon Birthmark, felt the voice of Ancient Fairy Dragon in her head, and followed it even as her eyes pounded. All the voices, the sounds, the sights, all of it became more and more distant until Ruka had to feel her way through the darkness and the silence.

"Whoa!" Ruka cried out as the floor suddenly gave way beneath her, and she fell into a slide that carried her at high speed, depositing her in an ungainly heap. With that her senses were no longer overwhelmed, she could see and hear down the path that her Dragon Birthmark wanted her to go. She felt the impulse to cry out, but stamped it out; all alone, it would be too dangerous to draw attention to herself, she just had to find her way back as best she could. Ruka looked around and saw that she was in the middle of a long hallway, and there was a panel on the wall; she tried to open it to see if she could climb her way back up the slide, but the seal was firm and would not give way to human hands.

Breathing in and out, in and out, Ruka steadied herself and made her way down the hallway; now that her senses were no longer being assaulted from every which way, she could see that the design of the Arcadia Movement was both grandiose and cold, meant to overwhelm with its scale and splendor. It put Ruka in mind of fairy tales she'd read about the kingdoms of the fairies, majestic and terrifying in the same breath. Before Ruka could dwell on this any further, she turned to the right and walked right into someone. "Stay back!" Ruka got back to her feet and armed her duel-disc, ready to draw her cards and set up her defenses.

"Wait!" That voice…and now that she looked at the person, at the boy she'd walked right into…

"Rua?" Her vision became blurry from the tears that she could not, would not stop.

"Yeah, it's me." Rua smiled, and Ruka realized just how much she'd missed that goofy, cheerful, cocky expression, and so she bowled him over, grabbing hold of him and refusing to let go. "Hey, take it easy!"

"Sorry." Ruka found she couldn't manage more than that one word, her throat was too tight. She released her brother and looked him over; his clothes were the sort that the other Arcadia Movement members were wearing, and he had a circlet on with a ruby-gemstone in the middle of his forehead, but his eyes were his own. She swallowed. "Are you okay Rua? Divine didn't hurt you…did he?"

Rua thumped his chest. "You underestimate me Ruka; Divine threw his best at me but I got through it all with flying colors; after all, what kind of lousy brother would I be to leave you all alone?"

"You'd be the worst brother ever." Yes, this was natural, this was how things were supposed to be, just the two of them talking like this.

"Come on Ruka, we can talk while we walk." Rua pointed to the end of the hallway he'd come down from, and saw an elevator door.

"Right." The moment she took her step forward though, Ruka's Dragon Birthmark 'snapped', she had no other way to describe it.

"Ruka, are you okay? Do you need me to carry you?"

"I'm fine Rua." She stopped, and the pain was gone. "I don't think that's the way back to Yusei."

"Why would it be?" Ruka looked at her brother; his eyes looked the same, and yet what he said…

"Because we need to get back to Yusei so we can help Aki."

"No we don't." The casual ease with which Rua said that was all wrong. "Come on Ruka, we have to hurry."

Ruka felt her breath catch in her throat as Rua grabbed her arm, the arm with the Dragon Birthmark. Ruka tried to pull away, but Rua's grip tightened. Her breath became shallow as he pulled her along, her legs unable to resist, her mind racing in an attempt to comprehend what was happening. "Rua, you're hurting me." She managed to get that out just a few steps away from the elevator.

"Don't worry Ruka, we'll get to Divine soon and he'll set everything right."

Ruka's Dragon Birthmark pulsed with energy, forcing Rua to let go of her. "Rua, what did Divine do to you?"

"He showed me how strong I really am Ruka, showed me how to use my strength." Rua then took a card from his deck and summoned Deformer Mobaphon. "Watch." The ruby in Rua's circlet gathered the light around it, and when Rua's monster punched the wall, it left very real cracks in it. "You see that? That's my power."

"Rua," Ruka narrowed her eyes, focused her vision on that circlet, "have you used that power on other people?"

"Just on a traitor, helped root her out so that Divine could take care of her."

"Rua, were you even listening to yourself?" Sure, Rua could be thoughtless at times, but this…

"Of course I am Ruka, she was Godwin's pawn; you know, Godwin, the guy who's been keeping us locked up in the Tops and has been using you while keeping the truth about our parents from us. Now come on, we need to get you to Divine, now." Rua reached for Ruka's arm, but she stepped back from him. "Ruka, what are you doing?"

"Rua, Divine did something to you, we need to get you to Yusei so we can figure out how to get you back to normal."

"Yusei, Yusei, Yusei!" Rua scowled as he reached for Ruka again. "He's not your brother, I am! I'm the one who's supposed to protect you, not him, and now that I can, there's no way I'm going to let him split us apart ever again!" As Rua yelled at her, the glow of the gemstone increased, and Ruka realized he couldn't see it.

"Rua, don't you remember? How you promised you would do whatever you could to support me, to be there for me? How Yusei had been helping you with your dueling? How much you admired Jack's riding duels? And how Aki…"

"Shut up!" Rua's face was a terrible, furious grimace. "Ruka, you do what I say right now, or I will make you." Rua armed his duel disc. "Come with me Ruka, don't make me have to use my power on you, because I will."

"No." The glow of Rua's circlet was pale next to the crimson light that was bleeding off of Ruka's Dragon Birthmark. "I'm sorry Rua; if I hadn't been so scared, this would never have happened. But I won't be scared, not now, not when I have to save you!" Ruka armed her Duel Disc, drew her cards. "First, I reveal Golden Ladybug in my hand until the end phase to increase my life points by 500, and then I summon Kuribon to the field." Ruka's level one monster appeared, it's large eyes on Rua with a sad expression, forlornly wagging its tail. "Then, I play Terraforming to add a Field Spell card to my hand, and activate activate that Field Spell card, Harvest Autumn." Now the two children were surrounded by the abundance of nature ready to be had by human hands; in the distance though, the sounds of battle and the smell of burning crops. "Finally, I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 2, Ruka: 4500 life points, Rua: 4000 life points."

"Same dueling as always Ruka, always trying to set things up and fiddle around with life points." Rua drew his card. "Those weak low-level effects won't be able to stop my duel, not anymore; I summon Deformer Scopen in attack position, and activate its effect to special summon the level 4 Deformer Slingshot from my hand." A microscope and a slingshot appeared, and transformed into humanoid robots, their eyes glowing a dull red. "Now I tune my level 4 Slingshot to my level 3 Scopen." Three rings, four stars. "Docking strength with courage to protect the world's peace! Synchro Summon! Envoy of love and justice, Power Tool Dragon!" Rua's ace monster…it hurt to look at it. "I now activate Power Tool Dragon's effect." Rua held out three equip-spell cards from his deck. "Pick one Ruka." She pointed to the one on the left, the other two returning to Rua's deck. "Thanks, you just added Double Tool C&D to my hand, so I'll go ahead and equip it to Power Tool Dragon." Buzzsaw and drill replaced screwdriver and shovel on Power Tool Dragon's arms, both weapons whirring away. "Now when Power Tool Dragon attacks, not only does its attack power increase by 1000, and now your monster can't activate its effect during the battle phase, so that means your stupid cutesy Kuribon's going to be destroyed!"

Power Tool Dragon bored a hole through Kuribon with its drill, and then swept its buzzsaw mere inches away from Ruka's stomach, the pressure of the psychically-enhanced damage more than enough to knock her down onto her back. "Now I'll just set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 3, Ruka: 1500 life points, Rua: 4000 life points."

"How do you like that Ruka? You were going to use Kuribon's effect to protect yourself and inflate my life points so you could take me down with some complicated strategy, but I just cut right through all that like your stupid monster wasn't even there." Rua grinned as Ruka got back to her feet.

"I draw my card and activate my Permanent Trap Card, Solemn Wishes, allowing me to recover 500 life points every time I draw cards. Then, I reveal Golden Ladybug in my hand again to recover another 500 life points." Vibrant motes of light gathered around Ruka and entered her, renewing her strength. "Then I summon Armored White Bear in attack position, and set one card to end my turn."

"Turn 4, Ruka: 2500 life points, Rua: 4000 life points."

"This is my duel Rua, my deck; you've seen me win so many times with it, you saw me beat Daichi at the Fortune Cup, just like you knew I would." Armored White Bear growled as Ruka stepped forward.

"Too bad Ruka, but things have changed now." Rua drew his card. "Really changed; I summon Deformer Clocken in defense position and activate its effect to add a single Deformer Counter to it, and now I activate Power Tool Dragon's effect once again." Rua took another three cards from his deck, Ruka added the one on the right to his hand. "Now I discard Rocket Pilder from my hand to equip Power Tool Dragon with Armed Changer; when I destroy your monster in battle, I can add a monster with equal or fewer attack points as the equipped monster from the grave to my hand. Now go Power Tool Dragon, and cut that worthless bear apart as I activate Power-Up Adapter!" An infinitely extending cord connected Deformer Clocken and Power Tool Dragon, fueling the latter with the former's attack power, bringing Power Tool Dragon to 3900 attack points.

"I activate my trap card, Brilliant Sunrise!"

"Ha! It doesn't matter what you do, 'cause if you try and destroy Power Tool Dragon, I'll just send one of its equip cards to the grave in its place." Power Tool Dragon was about to bring its weapons down onto Armored White Bear when Ruka's monster suddenly began to glow with a blinding bright light.

Ruka smiled. "Brilliant Sunrise's effect; when a Light-type monster is attacked, I can reduce the battle damage I would take to zero, and draw two cards, and thinks to Harvest Autumn's effect, all of my monsters are treated as Light-Attribute monsters." A wall of light blocked the damage of Rua's attack, preventing any of it from reaching Ruka; meanwhile, Solemn Wishes' effect activated, giving Ruka another 500 life points. "You're always too focused on your side of the field, you don't think about what your opponent is doing; that's always been your biggest flaw Rua." Ruka drew her cards.

"Whatever, I still destroy your monster and Armed Changer still adds Deformer Slingshot back to my hand, so I'm still ahead of you." As Rua took his monster back from the grave, another light appeared on Ruka's side of the field.

"When Armored White Bear is destroyed and sent to the grave, I can special summon a level 4 or lower Light-Attribute Beast monster from my deck or grave. Come to me, Alpha Leonis!" Ruka's 1700 attack power lion roared.

"Damn, and I was hoping that I'd be able to get some more counters onto Deformer Clocken; oh well, I'll just go ahead and sacrifice it to inflict 1000 points of damage." Clocken teleported in front of Ruka and exploded; this time she managed to keep on her feet, and in accordance with Harvest Autumn's effect, a Harvest Token with 1000 defense points appeared on Ruka's side of the field. "I end my turn."

"Turn 5, Ruka: 2000 life points, Rua: 4000 life points."

"My turn." Solemn Wishes' effect activated as Ruka drew her card, and once more she revealed the Golden Ladybug in her hand, together giving her 1000 life points. "Now everything is in place." Yes, she would be able to get around Power Tool Dragon's effect, and then she would be able to reach her brother, bring him back to himself. "I summon Resilient Dryad, a level 2 tuner monster, and tune my level 4 Alpha Leonis and my level 1 Harvest token to it." Two rings, five stars. "The holy light of protection, shine now and become eternal life! Synchro Summon! A Regal Birth, Ancient Fairy Dragon!" The twins' dragons now roared at one another. "I activate Ancient Fairy Dragon's effect, and destroy Harvest Autumn to recover 1000 life points and add another Field Spell card from my deck to my hand, and so I activate Ancient Forest!"

The trees shook, the ground rumbled; there was so much hostility all around, the forest could not abide. "Whatever, Power Tool Dragon has nothing to fear from Ancient Forest's effect." Rua picked up a branch off the ground, snapped it in his hands. "The forest on the other hand…"

"I set two cards, and end my turn." Ruka hated the way Rua said that, the way her skin crawled in response.

"Turn 6, Ruka: 4000 life points, Rua: 4000 life points."

"All right then," Rua said as he drew his card, "first thing's first; I'm summoning Deformer Chakken in defense position and activate its effect to inflict 300 points of damage onto you." The giant lighter launched a fireball at Ruka, and she instinctively put her hands out in front of her face, crying out as her fingers burned; objectively speaking Rua's power wasn't as great as Aki's, but the pain of it being him doing this, of him attacking her like this and being happy about it…

"Rua…" Ruka lowered her hands. "Isn't this enough? Please, break free Rua, I know you have the strength in you."

"Liar!" Rua shouted, slamming his fist against a nearby tree. "You've never believed I could be strong, not on my own, for years you would talk me down whenever I tried to defend you, and even after Yusei came you were still looking down on me, you and him both, just because you two are Signers and I'm not! I've changed now, I'm stronger than you, and I'm going to prove it! I activate Power Tool Dragon's effect!" Power Tool Dragon reared back, ready to receive its new armament…

"I activate my trap card, Boundary Definition!" The wind howled, the ground shook, the trees parted to let in the sun. "When I control a Field Spell card and you activate your monster's effect, I can negate that activation and remove your monster from play!" Ruka watched as Rua's monster vanished, it's effect to prevent its own destruction useless, Double Tool C&D and Armed Changer falling to the wayside into the grave.

"Nice try Ruka, but not nice enough!" A sickly green light flooded Rua's side of the field. "I activate my spell card, Vision of the Tool! With this, I can special summon a Machine Type monster that's been removed from play, and then I remove every Equip Spell card in my grave from play to increase that Machine Monster's attack power by 500 for each one!"

"What?!" Ruka gaped at the sight of Power Tool Dragon as it twisted and writhed, as its various mechanisms surged with power, power that made pieces of it break off, power that caused pieces to deform, power that mangled and mashed it into something hideous. "Rua…you…" He couldn't feel it, he couldn't feel what he'd put into his favorite monster.

"That's right, I outplayed you, and I'm not done yet! Since Power Tool Dragon's been summoned back to the field, I can activate its effect again, and this time you won't be interrupting, will you?"

"No…" Ruka tried to raise her hand to choose which of the three equip cards to add to Rua's hand, but she couldn't; her nerves were all on fire…no, there were burning needles all up and down the length of her arm…no, everything that had been Aki's pain, none of it compared to what Ruka was feeling in that moment. "Is this…is this really what Psychic Dueling is?"

"Pick damn you!" Rua shook his fist at Ruka, and so she made herself point to the center card. "There we go, that wasn't so hard, right? And you picked well too, because now I equip Power Tool Dragon with Jagged Machete." The blade that now constituted Power Tool Dragon's right arm, Ruka couldn't even look at it; even so, she could not avoid seeing it tear the Ancient Forest apart, returning the both of them to the underground hallway of the Arcadia Movement Headquarters. "When Jagged Machete is equipped to a machine monster, all Field Spell cards are automatically destroyed." Rua pointed right at Ruka. "Your Field-Spells are the cornerstone of your deck, but without the ability to change the world to suit you, now that you're stuck here in the real world, my world, you're helpless."

Ruka was breathing hard; her face-down trap card, Heart Shield, could only be activated when there was a Field Spell card in play. "Ancient Fairy Dragon…"

"Is going to die!" Rua screamed, and Power Tool Dragon flew up to Ruka's monster and took a wide, powerful swing at Ancient Fairy Dragon, decapitating Ruka's Signer Dragon and slamming Ruka against the wall. She slumped down onto the ground, face-down. Her arms were weak, limp, lined with lead. "Get up Ruka, we're not done yet! We would be, but you keep increasing your life points, so you must still want to duel, so get up!"

How was this possible? How could Divine have done this to her brother, taken away all his compassion, his kindness, his care for her, all of it, leaving nothing but this bitter hatred? Did Divine conjure it all up and force it into Rua, or… "Rua." Ruka winced as she demanded her arms to listen to her, to ignore the sure fractures in her bones. "This, this was all deep down inside of you, wasn't it?" Ruka was back on her feet. "This is your shadow, all the thoughts you knew were wrong but you couldn't help thinking at least a little, isn't it?"

Rua harrumphed. "The only shadow here is your chance for victory, now go on and take your turn."

"Turn 7, Ruka: 2000 life points, Rua: 4000 life points."

"I draw." Solemn Wishes activated its effect. "I reveal Golden Ladybug in my hand." She recovered another 1000 life points, but Ruka knew she wouldn't be able to last forever even with 10000 life points, not with the way Rua was attacking her. "I summon Golden Ladybug in defense, and activate my spell card, Swords of Revealing Light." Glowing swords embedded themselves into the ground all around Rua.

"Now all you can do is stall for time; show's how badly outclassed you are now." Rua snickered. "That's okay, Divine will be able to fix that, at least a little; just remember, I'm going to be in charge from now on."

"…I, I end my turn."

"Turn 8, Ruka: 3000 life points, Rua: 4000 life points."

"Of course, if you'd really been paying attention, you'd know that Swords of Revealing Light won't even stop me for one turn!" Rua drew his card. "I activate Chakken's effect to inflict another 300 damage to you," Ruka's arms were covered in heat blisters, "and summon Deformer Slingshot back to the field in attack position, and activate its effect to sacrifice Deformer Chakken to destroy Swords of Revealing Light!" Ruka covered her eyes as Deformer Slingshot grabbed Chakken and threw it into the Swords of Revealing Light, creating a huge explosion that almost swept Ruka off her feet. "Then I activate Power Tool Dragon's effect again!" Ruka pointed randomly, not even looking. "Thanks, now I can equip Power Tool Dragon with Serrated Knife, allowing me to once per turn destroy a face-up spell or trap card you control; I think it's time that that stupid Solemn Wishes went away, 'cause I don't want you dying before this is all over." Power Tool Dragon contorted itself as it flew up to Ruka's Permanent Trap card, and as it stabbed it, Ruka saw into its eyes; buried beneath the wretched mess that it had become, it's true heart still beat. "Next, I'll go ahead and have Slingshot attack and destroy Golden Ladybug." A single focused blast, and Ruka's monster was gone. "And to finish things off, I'll have Power Tool Dragon attack you directly; brace yourself Ruka, I'm hitting you with all I've got!"

Power Tool Dragon's roar was torn out from it, its movements were halting and jerking. "I activate the effect of Swift Scarecrow in my hand; by discarding it during a direct attack, I can negate that attack and end the battle phase." Power Tool Dragon's head dropped, and Ruka realized it was bowing to her, thanking her for stopping it; Rua had put so much of himself into that card, more than he realized.

"Fine, be that way Ruka, I'll just destroy you next turn; you put something face-up, and Serrated Knife will take care of it; face-down or a monster, and I'll have Slingshot wipe it out. Either way, you're doomed. I end my turn Ruka, now take your last and let's finish this!"

"Turn 9, Ruka: 2700 life points, Rua: 4000 life points."

"My turn…" Ruka looked down at her deck; she had a card, she'd prepared for an eventuality like this one, when all seemed lost, but she never imagined it would be like this; to be honest she'd pictured Rua tied up, put into some sort of death trap and guarded by some huge and terrible brute, and every life point she lost would bring her brother one step closer…but as terrible as that was, this was so much worse. Ruka couldn't even…that's right…in the whole duel, not once had she attacked, not once had she done so much as a single point of damage, she hadn't been able to destroy even one monster, force Rua to lose a single card he wanted to keep. Divine, could he have planned things this far out in advance? When he realized that he'd captured Rua instead of her, how long did it take for him to decide on this plan to capture her for good, knowing that she'd be coming here, after her brother?

"Ruka, hurry up!" As Rua said that, she finally saw it, saw what it was that dwelled in the light given off by the red gem in Rua's circle.

"I will." Ruka understood everything now, she saw it all, saw how the duel had begun long before this encounter; it wasn't something she'd planned for or anticipated, but she would overcome it regardless. "I draw my card!" Ruka Dragon Birthmark glowed brigher, almost enough to wash out the light from Rua's circlet. She took her card and put it into the spell-trap slot face-down without even looking; she didn't have to, because she looked into Rua's eyes, saw past all the hate that had been nurtured and brought to the surface, and knew what it was. "I end my turn."

"Turn 10, Ruka: 2700 life points, Rua: 4000 life points."

"I told you Ruka, I told you what would happen if you played something face-down, I told you and you did it anyway, and I know you'd like me to ignore your card, think it's something that won't stop me if I attack directly, but you can't bluff me!" Rua drew his card. "I summon Deformer Cameran and sacrifice it to Deformer Slingshot, to destroy the card you'd just set down onto the field!" Deformer Cameran was launched faster than a shooting star, creating a crater where Ruka's card had been. "And now…what the?!"

Stars, swirling stars, a veritable galaxy of stars flew out from Ruka's side of the field, surrounding Power Tool Dragon. The strange light that shined from those stars revealed Power Tool Dragon in its original state, its true form. "My trap card, Connected Dreams; when it is destroyed and sent to the grave, the battle phase is skipped, and I can special summon a monster from my grave in defense equal in level to a monster you control. Return to the field, my soul, Ancient Fairy Dragon!" The monster that she'd so long believed was her strength, the card that she believed controlled her life and not the other way around, appeared, spreading a soft and gentle light across the field.

"Wha…what is this?" Rua's voice shook. "What's…" Rua brought his hand in front of his face. "I…that is…" He brought his hand in towards the circlet, and a beam of light lanced out from the gem, striking Rua's hand away; in that moment Ruka saw the memories, saw all the memories of Rua's time in the Arcadia Movement, and not just his memories. "Ha, nice try Ruka, you won't confuse me that easily!" The stars were gone, the field was back to normal.

"That's okay Rua, because I know that even if there was the seed of these feelings in your heart, it's not you saying any of this, not really." Ruka stood her ground, pointed at the gemstone. "Divine! You've tricked my brother, abused him and made him suffer and tried to turn him into your demented weapon against me! I'm going to save him, and then we're going to rejoin Yusei and help save Aki, and then we're all coming after you!" Yes, Ruka and Ancient Fairy Dragon looked each other in the eye; this was her mission, this was why she had her power, everything had been leading up to this time, and she would not let anyone down; not Yusei, not Setsuko, not Rua, not Aki, and most of all, she would never ever let herself down ever again!

"You might have skipped my battle phase, but don't forget, I've still got Power Tool Dragon's effect!" Rua took out three cards from his deck, Ruka chose the middle one. "Big mistake Ruka, because now I'm going to equip Power Tool Dragon with Machine Carronade." A massive iron canon lined with sharp and painful runes was dropped onto Power Tool Dragon's back. "So long as this card is equipped, I can't attack, but in return, once per turn I can sacrifice a Machine-type monster I control and inflict damage equal to one-half Power Tool Dragon's attack power." Power Tool Dragon scooped up Deformer Slingshot and forced it into the barrel of the cannon. The runes lit up, and a baleful black warhead was launched out, smothering Ruka and nearly causing her to pass out; even so, she did not lose her balance. "Do whatever you like Ruka, but remember; you'd have to destroy Power Tool Dragon four times to get past it, and we both know that isn't happening. I end my turn."

"Turn 11, Ruka: 800 life points, Rua: 4000 life points."

"Don't worry Rua, I'll get past this." Slowly she reached for her card.

"Kick his butt Ruka!" After all…

"Arrgh, what am I doing wrong?"

"If you're okay with me supporting you…" There was a reason…

"You're the best Ruka!"

"Ruka, you're not going to listen to this bastard's crap are you?" Her brother believed in her…

"How can you worry about something like that at a time like this?"

"With me backing you up, nothing bad is going to happen to you." And she would show it…

"I'm the one who should be sorry…"

"…We both did our best, so there's nothing for us to be ashamed about." …Here and now!

"I draw my card and activate it, Rising Stars! I send one card on my field to the grave and skip my battle phase to draw two cards." As she grabbed those cards, her Dragon Birthmark became blindingly bright. "I summon Playful Opossum, and then I activate Ancient Fairy Dragon's effect to special summon Salvation Dragon – Savior Dragon!" Savior Dragon flew around Ruka's monsters, flapping its little wings as it did. "I now tune my Level 2 Playful Opossum and my Level 7 Ancient Fairy Dragon to my Level 1 Savior Dragon." One ring, nine stars. "The sacred power that comes with the blessing of responsibility, protect us all! Synchro Summon! Born from dreams, Savior Fairy Dragon!" Savior Fairy Dragon emerged from a pillar of crimson light, a very nearly humanoid figure in a graceful gown, slits in the back for beautiful butterfly wings. Green hair extended down to the ground, and the face was a vision of power. "I now activate Savior Fairy Dragon's first effect, and negate Power Tool Dragon's effect to inflict damage equal to half your monster's attack power." Light rained down from Savior Fairy Dragon's wings, transforming Power Tool Dragon back into its original form and making the excess material crash down around Rua for 1900 points of damage.

"Whatever, so now you can destroy Power Tool Dragon by battle, you still can't attack, and even if you could, your monster still has fewer attack points!" Rua's face was twitching as the energy of the circlet kept zapping all about.

"I don't need to attack, not in the battle phase; I activate Savior Fairy Dragon's second effect, and remove two Field Spell cards in my grave from play to destroy one monster you control and inflict damage equal to Savior Fairy Dragon's attack power." Images of Harvest Autumn and Ancient Forest appeared, and were then absorbed into Savior Fairy Dragon's wings; Ruka's monster floated down to Power Tool Dragon and put its hand onto its head. Power Tool Dragon crumbled away, leaving nothing between Savior Fairy Dragon and Rua; Savior Fairy Dragon pointed at the circlet, and fired a thin beam at the gemstone, shattering it and bringing Rua down to zero life points.

Rua fell down to his knees, a haunted look in his eyes. "Ruka…" Tears started welling up.

"You're okay now, and so am I." Ruka ached all over, but she made her way to her brother. "See? I'm not passing out after the duel, so you don't have to cry, okay?"

Rua wiped his arm over his eyes, and then threw away the circlet. "I was so sure he couldn't trick me, that even if he beat me he couldn't…" Rua shivered. "He even got me thinking that I had Psychic Power like him and Aki and everyone else here." Ruka remembered the memory she saw of Rua's duel with Divine, how Divine had used his power on Rua's Power Tool Dragon to make the damage real.

"I saw it Rua, I saw everything, and you were very brave to face Divine all alone like that." She held her hand out to Rua. "Besides, if it had been me in your place, I really don't think I'd have done any better."

"Huh? But…you beat me, you transformed Ancient Fairy Dragon into…" He looked away from her.

"Because I had Mikage and Yusei with me; they supported me when I needed them, so that I could be even a tenth as brave as you."

"…You really think I'm brave?" Rua looked back at Ruka.

"Of course; maybe you mess up a lot and make mistakes, but the real you, the one who gave himself up to save me, you're way braver and stronger than what Divine tried to turn you into."

"Well, if you think so," Rua took his sister's hand and lifted himself back up, "then I suppose there must be something to it."

Ruka smiled softly. The sounds of footsteps from down the hall drew the eyes of both twins. "Looks like Lord Divine was right to be prepared." Yua said as she adjusted her glasses.

"Sorry about this kids, but Lord Divine needs the both of you and we don't have time to be gentle about this." Tsubasa rubbed the back of his head before arming his duel disc.

"You could save us a lot of time by surrendering, but somehow I don't think you will." Yua armed her duel disc.

"Hell no we're not surrendering!" Rua took his deck and started taking cards out and putting others back in. "You listen and you listen real good, 'cause when we're done with you you'll be too far out of it to hear anything at all!"

"Tough talk kid, but can you really back it up?" Tsubasa started cracking his knuckles.

"Of course he can," Ruka said as she took a card out of her pocket and put it into Rua's deck without letting anyone see what it was, "because together, our bonds will never be broken!"


	38. Chapter 38

**Just One Step, Even One Centimeter…**

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> When you get to the final turn of the duel, I recommend going onto Youtube and searching for "Kamen Rider Fourze Giant Step" and clicking on the first video that shows up. That said, on with the story!

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><p>"It's too small." Yusei said in regards to the trap door he'd found where Ruka had disappeared. "Only a child could fit through it." Yusei stood up to face Setsuko; the fighting in the lobby had died down, many were injured, and there were fatalities, but enough of Godwin's forces had survived to press on and continue securing the Arcadia Movement HQ. "He'd planned for this." Yusei remembered how Divine had contacted at the end of his duel against Aki, how time seemingly slowed to a crawl; with all the anger and hostility and violence around them, he could easily imagine Divine altering Ruka's perception and luring her into his trap.<p>

"That's how Divine operates." Setsuko clenched her locket in her hand. "He takes his time and considers every possibility, anticipates failure in one area so he can turn it to his advantage later." She turned to look at Yusei. "Do you think she'll be okay on her own? Without you?"

Yusei gripped his arm, his Dragon Birthmark still glowing. He frowned, then smiled softly and nodded. "She's doing just fine; she's taken some blows, but she's pulling through." Yusei couldn't say more than that, all he could get through the Dragon Birthmark were feelings, sensations.

"That's very good." Setsuko let go of her locket. "She, she reminds me of Aki." She looked down and away. "It just suddenly occurred to me how similar they are, both of them isolated by their power, both of them so alone…"

Yusei put his hand on Setsuko's shoulder. "She came here because she wanted to rescue her brother, and she wanted to help your daughter, the same as all of us; we won't let the past repeat itself or control our futures anymore."

"You're right Yusei." She lifted Yusei's hand off her shoulder. "We should hurry, before Ruka leaves us all behind."

"That's only happening if you go on without me." Yusei and Setsuko turned back to the entrance and saw Jack Atlas striding up to them, injured but unbowed. "Would have gotten back sooner, but I had to take the long way around to prove my point."

Yusei didn't say anything, he didn't have to; the look in Jack's eyes was one of genuine conviction, none of the false bravado that he'd taken to wearing in his years as the King of Riding Duels. They just marched together, ready for whatever Divine sent their way.

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><p>"Ruka…" Aki Izayoi muttered under her breath. "How could you?" Aki Izayoi gripped her arm so tight she was cutting off the circulation to her hand. "You took Rua's power from him, your own brother…" Hate circulated along the patterns on the wall, intricate arrays whose abstract designs were painful to look at. "This mark…this detestable mark." She dug her fingers into her arm, her nails cutting, drawing blood; she barely felt it over the constant buzz of her own power as it raged about within her body. The harsh crimson light radiating off her Dragon Birthmark made the cuts and blood seemingly invisible, seemingly washed away; it was the lie of the curse, the same lie as…<p>

"Aki, you are doing very well." Divine's voice filled her, coursed through her being. "You've gathered so much hate, it won't be long now before you can unleash it all and finally be free of your curse."

"Yes, Ruka thought she could stop me by denying Rua his power, but she was wrong." Aki's nostrils flared.

"Remember though Aki, she only thinks that because Yusei misled her; Yusei, who has made himself a pawn of Godwin."

Yusei? Yes, that was right; at the Fortune Cup he'd interposed himself between her Black Rose Dragon and Ruka, preventing her power from reaching the girl, preventing her from fully sharing her pain so that she would understand that they had to destroy Neo Domino City. And then, in their duel, time and time again he kept sacrificing Stardust Dragon without regard for the damage he was taking, charged headfirst into the path of Black Rose Dragon's breath weapon; it was as though…it was almost as if…what could have possessed him to…?

"Aki." She felt Divine's ethereal hand on her cheek, and so she released her arm to gather the tears that had fallen unbidden. "You will destroy him, and then all your confusion will be gone."

"Yes, you're right Lord Divine." She quieted herself, dropped her arms at her side, and simply waited for the hate to fill her being entirely and leave nothing else behind.

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><p>"Bonds." Yua said as she adjusted her glasses. "They are indeed very powerful Ruka; they are what saw Tsubasa and I through our trials, and bonds are what the Psychic Transmitter drew upon."<p>

"Wh-what do you mean? What are you even talking about?" Rua knew his fear was showing on his face, he already had an inkling of the answer.

Tsubasa cricked his neck. "It's just what you're thinking Kiddo; that piece of jewelry you were wearing, it was infused with a piece of Lord Divine's own soul, and it was connecting to you through the qualities that you both share."

"Liar!" Ruka swept her arm out in front of Rua. "My brother is nothing at all like Divine!"

"Yeah!" Rua shouted, hoping no one noticed the sweat dripping down the back of his neck.

"You wanted to be stronger, it's only natural, but that's something you very much have in common with Lord Divine." Yua said, looking past Rua and Ruka. "Then there's your desire to protect Ruka from those who would exploit her in her vulnerability; how very like Lord Divine." Rua grimaced as the pressure on his temples spiked; images of a young Divine appeared in his mind's eye, him and a girl around his and Ruka's age, the girl had been turned away from the orphanage because of her powers, Divine went with her, guarded her against everyone who tried to take her until he found her a new home in the country, promised her that when he came back the world would be changed, safe for her. It was something that Divine had shared only with him. "However, the major difference between you is that Lord Divine possesses power and you do not, and that makes all the difference in the world, bonds or no bonds." Yua drew her card, claimed the first turn. "I summon Vylon Charger and end my turn." Yua's monster was a cylindrical construct made of silvery metal, surrounded by golden rings along the length of its body.

"Turn 2, Rua and Ruka: 8000 life points, Yua and Tsubasa: 8000 life points."

"Rua, you're not going to listen to them, are you?" Ruka said as she drew her card. "Just because you and Divine might have something in common, it doesn't mean you're anything alike."

"S-sure." Rua tried to stop worrying, but it wouldn't take; Ruka had kept telling him how brave he was, yet wasn't Divine also brave to be taking on Godwin? Didn't he have to be brave, to be able to do what he did?

"I summon Clever Monkey in attack position, and set one card to end my turn."

"Turn 3, Rua and Ruka: 8000 life points, Yua and Tsubasa: 8000 life points."

"Sorry little lady," Tsubasa said as he drew his card, "but it's the truth; Lord Divine is unfailingly honest with us, and once we get you to him, you'll understand too." Tsubasa looked over his hand. "I summon XX-Saber Fulhelmknight, and set one card to end my turn." A short blond haired warrior with a gleaming smile appeared, wielding a whip linked together with electricity.

"Turn 4, Rua and Ruka: 8000 life points, Yua and Tsubasa: 8000 life points."

"My turn." Rua looked all around himself; their opponents were Psychic Duelists, and his sister was a Signer; could any amount of courage let him make a dent in a duel like this? Rua shook his head; Ruka said she believed in him and his bravery, so there had to be something there! "I summon Deformer Staplen in defense position, and set two cards to end my turn."

"Turn 5, Rua and Ruka: 8000 life points, Yua and Tsubasa: 8000 life points."

Yua looked over the field. "Now you will witness the truth and power that Lord Divine has guided us to, in order to secure our future of light; I summon Vyon Hept, and equip it with Vylon Segment." A silver figure with gold-plated arms and no legs, a golden rail-cannon appeared and attached itself onto its back. "Then, I equip Vylon Charger with Vylon Component and Material." Ringed blades attached themselves onto Vylon Charger's hands. "Now, Vylon Charger's effect activates, increasing the attack power of every light monster I control by 300 per card equipped to it." Two of the rings around Charger's body glowed, showering light upon itself and Hept.

"Why didn't she equip Segment to Charger…" Ruka muttered to herself; then her eyes grew wide. "Rua, watch out!"

"Huh?!" Rua barely had time to raise his arms before Vylon Charger fired its beams at Deformer Staplen. "But, Staplen's defense effect prevents it from being destroyed by battle…"

"However, Component allows me to do piercing damage, and with Material's 600 attack point boost, that means you will be taking 1200 points of damage; now, experience it once more, the power that your sister robbed from you."

Vylon Charger's attack bent around Deformer Staplen and struck Rua dead center in the chest…yet it didn't hurt, not one little bit. Rua lowered his arms, and noticed a soft crimson glow where Yua's attack impacted. "No, I won't let you use that power on my brother again, not after what it did to him the first time." Rua looked over at Ruka and saw her panting, sweating, the glow of her Dragon Birthmark almost as bright as when she'd summoned Savior Fairy Dragon. "Ruka!"

"I'll be fine Rua," she said even though she was already breathing hard, "just focus on doing your best and we'll pull through."

"R-right!" Rua turned to face Yua. "Deformer Staplen's effect activates, switching itself to attack position and switching one monster on your side of the field to defense, so now Vylon Hept won't get to…attack…" Rua felt his face drop as the Vylon Segment equipped to Hept glowed and projected an energy barrier in front of Yua's monster.

"The monster equipped with Vylon Segment can't be targeted by traps or monster effects; that is why I didn't equip it to Charger to increase my monsters attack power even further, for Lord Divine wisely informed us both of the contents of your deck for this eventuality; of course, there's still the matter of the card Ruka added to your deck, but if you don't draw it, it won't make any difference anyway."

"Grr…I switch Vyon Charger to defense position." Vylon Charger wrapped its arms around itself. "And if you think that Ruka's card's going to waste in my deck, you've got another thing coming!"

"As do you." Yua said, and Vylon Hept rushed forward to attack the now attack position Deformer Staplen, destroying it for another 1000 points of damage; as before, the light from Ruka's Dragon Birthmark covered Rua, keeping the reality of Yua's psychic attack from reaching him. He grimaced as he looked back at his sister, saw that it took far more out of her to protect him than it did to protect herself; it made Deformer Staplen's attack position effect of reducing Vylon Hept's attack power by 300 very small consolation indeed. "Now I end my turn."

"Turn 6, Rua and Ruka: 5800 life points, Yua and Tsubasa: 8000 life points."

"You're okay, right Rua?" She looked at him, and the expression she had, already exhausted…of course she was exhausted, after the way he'd gone after her in their duel just a few minutes ago how on Earth was she not going to be exhausted? "Don't worry, you did your best, and it's going to pay off right now!" Ruka drew her card. "I summon Sunlight Unicorn, and check the top card of my deck, adding it to my hand if it's a spell card." She looked, smiled, added the card to her hand. "Now, Sunlight Unicorn, attack Vylon Hept as I activate Life Contrast!" Yes! Now Sunlight Unicorn would gain 2200 attack points until the end phase, and with the 300 attack points that Hept had lost, that meant they were going to do…

"I activate Fulhelmknight's effect." Tsubasa's monster whipped out its electric chain and wrapped it around Sunlight Unicorn's body. "Once when this monster is on the field, I can target a monster and negate their attack." With that, Sunlight Unicorn was flung back to Ruka's side of the field, landing on its feet. "You're not the only one prepared to protect their twin sibling."

"Twins?" Rua stared at Yua and Tsubasa; they didn't look a thing alike!

"How very strange." Yua said with a smirk. "That was the same reaction our employer had when he'd met us for the first time…" then the light around her dimmed. "He cracked wise about how nice it was that I didn't look like my brother, and we were so desperate for work I overlooked it, to mine and my brother's detriment."

"Yua." Tsubasa said, the light returning. "You didn't do anything wrong, it was that bastard's fault, it was all his fault, everything was on him, not us!"

"What the heck?" Rua looked to Ruka, who seemed just as confused as him.

"…I activate the spell card I added to my hand, Supremacy Berry, recovering 2000 life points." A gentle light rained down on both Rua and Ruka, and he tried to wave as much of it over to Ruka as he could. "And now I set one card to end my turn."

"Turn 7, Rua and Ruka: 7800 life points, Yua and Tsubasa: 8000 life points."

"My turn." Tsubasa drew his card. "I summon XX-Saber Garsem, and when I control two X-Saber monsters, I can special summon XX-Saber Faultroll from my hand." Tsubasa's monsters took to the field, one an antelope-based warrior, the other a heavily armored white haired human. "Now, XX-Saber Fulhelmknight, attack Ruka's Clever Monkey." With a mighty crack of its whip Clever Monkey was destroyed, and while its effect reversed 1300 points of damage into 1300 life points recovered, Rua knew they still had two more attacks to face. "Garsem, destroy Sunlight Unicorn!" Ruka's monster lost its horn as they took 200 points of damage, and now Faultroll, the strongest of Tsubasa's monsters on the field, was ready to strike directly.

"I activate my trap card, Deformer Scramble!" Ruka had already used her power to protect him, and now it was his turn to do the same! "When we're attacked directly, I can negate that attack and special summon a Deformer Monster from my hand, so come on out Deformer Mobaphon!" Rua's monster jumped out in front of XX-Saber Faultroll and swatted its huge sword aside as though it were made of plastic and Styrofoam.

"Good move kid, but that does nothing to stop my true plan; I tune my level 4 Garsem to my level 3 Fulhemknight." Three rings, four stars. "Power exists to protect the weak, a vow sworn on the Earth itself! Synchro Summon! To arms, X-Saber Souza!" Tsubasa's monster grinned, nudged Faultroll in the shoulder with its own. "I now activate Faultroll's effect, to once per turn special summon a level-4 or lower X-Saber monster back from my grave; return, XX-Saber Fulhelmknight!"

"Why Fulhelmknight?" Rua would have figured on Garsem, it had more attack points… "Argh, right!" He remembered now, now Fulhelmknight could use its effect again and negate another attack.

"Caught on now have you?" Tsubasa smirked. "You've made some progress, but not nearly enough kiddo. I end my turn."

"Turn 8, Rua and Ruka: 8900 life points, Yua and Tsubasa: 8000 life points."

"Okay, I can do this." Rua drew his card, grimaced. "I can still do this! I activate Deformer Mobaphon's attack position effect." The number 2 lit up on his monster's body, so he picked up the top two cards of his deck. "Yes, exactly what I needed! I special summon Deformer Remocon in attack position and activate its effect to remove Staplen in my grave from play to add a Deformer of equal level from my deck to my hand, and I'll take Deformer Radion and summon it to the field." In mere moments, Rua had gathered three monsters onto the field, two of them from his deck, and now… "I tune my level 4 Radion to my level 3 Remocon." Three rings, four stars. "Docking strength with courage to protect the world's peace! Synchro Summon! Envoy of love and justice, Power Tool Dragon!" Rua's monster flashed onto the field, and with its effect, he would show Tsubasa that his Fulhelmknight wouldn't be able to stop him!

"I activate my Counter-Trap, Saber Hole!" There was a circular flash of light, and then the ground beneath Power Tool Dragon collapsed. "When I control an X-Saber monster, I can negate the summon of my opponent's monster and destroy it." A vortex sucked Power Tool Dragon down as the ground closed up again.

"You had that set on your first turn…you were waiting for one of us to summon our dragons first." Ruka said. Then she smirked. "Too bad it won't be enough to stop Rua."

"Ruka…" She had a plan, she had a plan, she had a plan, Rua kept repeating that in his head. "I switch Mobaphon to defense position, and end my turn."

"Turn 9, Rua and Ruka: 8900 life points, Yua and Tsubasa: 8000 life points."

"My turn." Yua drew her card. "As my brother had said earlier, I had done nothing wrong, but that did not stop our employer from harassing me, accusing me of leading him on as though he had no control over himself. Eventually his patience ran out, he tried to force himself onto me, and when Tsubasa and I defended ourselves from him, we were the ones arrested; he still walks free to this day, and to see that changed, I will do whatever I can to fulfill Lord Divine's expectations of me." Her whole body began to glow. "I summon Vylon Sphere." A rounded little robot with stubby little arms. "I tune my level 4 Vylon Hept and my level 4 Charger to my level one Vylon Sphere." One ring spun about on itself, capturing eight stars. "The sacred vision of a new millennia as seen by the Prism's light! Synchro Summon! Begin, Vylon Alpha!"

A grand silver and gold construct with wings spread out wide descended down onto the field. "When summoned, Vylon Alpha equips a Vylon Equip Spell card from my grave to itself, and so long as it is so equipped it can't be destroyed by spells or traps save for other equip cards. Then, by paying 500 life points, I can equip Vylon Sphere from my grave to Alpha and then send it back to the grave to retrieve another Vylon Equip card for Alpha to use; in this fashion, I recover Vylon Component and Segment. Then, when all three of my Vylon spells were sent to the grave, their effects were activated, allowing me to add three more Vylon Spells from my deck to my hand; thus, I equip Vylon Filament, Vylon Extension, and Vylon Connector all to Vylon Alpha." Yua's monster became adorned with yet more shining armaments. "Now, I will demonstrate the full extent of my power; Vylon Alpha, attack Deformer Mobaphon!" With Component's effect Alpha did piercing, Filament kept Ruka from being able to activate her face-down card, Extension increased Alpha's attack power to 2400, and Connector…

"Ruka!" Rua cried out as his sister fell to her knees, the strain of her power getting to her despite the look on her face.

"I now activate Connector's effect; when I do battle damage I can discard one Vylon card from my hand and attack again." Vylon Alpha flapped its wings, gathered light at the tips of its feathers, then fired them all in brilliant arcs aimed at both him and Ruka. Rua jumped out in front of Ruka as the light pierced his sides, spreading his arms and legs out to catch every last ray.

"Rua!" Ruka cried as he slumped back into her arms.

"I know, I know, I'm an idiot, but you protected me twice now, and I still only protected you once, so I had to even things out, and this was what I could come up with."

"Yeah, you really are an idiot." Ruka took her free hand and wiped away her tears. "Now come on, your turns almost up, just trust me on this, okay?"

"I'll try." Aching all over, Rua took his position, and watched as Yua discarded the last card in her hand to get off one more direct attack.

"I now discard Graceful Dear and one other card to reduce the damage from your attack to zero, and draw one card." Yua's attack went wide off the mark, the light chasing after the dear as it dashed about before vanishing.

"You've saved yourself some damage, but Alpha is nigh invincible, protected against all but equip cards, and even if you get a stronger monster onto the field, my brother's fulhelmknight will be ready and waiting to block that strike. I end my turn."

"Turn 10, Rua and Ruka: 4400 life points, Yua and Tsubasa: 7500 life points."

"You both have really great teamwork, there's no denying that." Ruka said as she slowly drew her card. "But my brother and I've got a secret weapon that's going to blow the both of you right out of the water!" Their eyes narrowed; Rua knew that Ruka had to be talking about the card she'd put into his deck, but was it really so great? "I summon Sunny Pixie, and then activate my trap card Fairy Tale and special summon the level 6 High Pixie from my hand, allowing me to tune it to my level 1 Sunny Pixie." One ring captured six stars. "The holy light of protection, shine now and become eternal life! Synchro Summon! A Regal Birth, Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Ruka's monster appeared, and the concerned way it looked down at him and Ruka…it almost reminded him of when Ruka had shared her memory of Yusei's dream with him. The light it shined on them through Sunny Pixie's effect, raising their life points by 1000, only reinforced this feeling. "Now, I activate my Field Spell Card, Blazing Summer, and activate Ancient Fairy Dragon's effect to destroy it and add another Field Spell card from my deck to my hand while recovering 1000 life points."

The opulent hallway vanished as the sun burned bright overhead, then Ancient Fairy Dragon roared, shattering the illusion. "Now I activate my new Field Spell card, Lunar Vantage Point." Rua felt himself getting dizzy as everything spun about him, and the gasp of shock when he saw the surface of the moon reminded him that they were still on Earth, they still had air to breathe. "With this card, I can switch the attack and defense values of one monster I control to negate the effect of one monster you control until the end phase; therefore, I switch Ancient Fairy Dragon's attack and defense to negate Fulhelmknight's effect." All right! Now Ruka could destroy any of Tsubasa's monsters and inflict a ton of damage in the process thanks to High Pixie's effect. "Ancient Fairy Dragon, attack and destroy Fulhelmknight!" Ruka's monster grabbed Tsubasa's in its hands, and squeezed the life out of it, inflicting 1700 points of battle damage and 1000 points of effect damage. "And now, when I destroy a monster by battle after using Lunar Vantage Point's effect, I get to remove two cards in my grave from play to add another card of the same type from my deck; thus, I'll be removing Life Contrast and Fairy Tale in my grave from play to add a Trap Card from my deck to my hand, and I'll set that card to end my turn."

"Turn 11, Rua and Ruka: 6400 life points, Yua and Tsubasa: 4800."

"You managed to pull ahead…it's little wonder that Divine wants you on his side." Tsubasa drew his card. "I can assure you, I won't disappoint him; I activate Faultroll's effect to bring back Fulhelmknight." Rua checked Ruka's face, saw that she wasn't worried, so he tried to be the same way. "Then, I summon the level 3 X-Saber Airbellum and tune my level six Faultroll to it." Three rings, each with three stars shooting about within them. "Beyond the battlefield lies victory, the defender of the innocent. Synchro Summon! Brandish your blade, XX-Saber Gottoms!" A towering, imperial, imposing figure. "Then, I equip Fulhelmknight with Sword of Sparkles, and activate my Field Spell card, Saber Vault." The moon vanished all around them, and vertigo overtook Rua as it looked like they were falling into a chamber with a giant, shining sword blade-down in a stand. "Now, every X-Saber monster on the field will gain 100 attack points times its own level, while losing an equal number of defense points." Tsubasa then pointed at Deformer Mobaphon. "Fulhelmknight, destroy that monster." Tsubasa's monster swung out its chain to capture Rua's, then brought its sword down, cutting it in half. "Now that I've destroyed a defense position monster, Fulhelmknight's second effect activates, allowing me to special summon XX-Saber Garsem from my grave."

"Oh no…" Four X-sabers on the field, and Saber Vault's effect, that gave Garsem a total attack power of2600!

"Garsem, slay Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Garsem its blades and embedded them in Ancient Fairy Dragon's chest, destroying it for 500 points of damage. Now there was nothing standing between them and the rest of Tsubasa's monsters. "Souza, attack directly!" Both Rua and Ruka were slammed against the wall, it was clear that Ruka really had exhausted her reserves now, she'd spent so much of herself keeping them safe. "Now take this, the final attack! XX-Saber Gottoms, attack them both directly!" Tsubasa's monster swung the giant, double-edged sword over its own head.

Rua didn't care if it seemed futile, he wasn't going to let it end like this, not after all the hard work Ruka had put in to get them this far! "I activate my trap card, Emergency Return Deployment!" The ground in front of Rua glowed. "When I'm directly attacked by a monster with an attack power equal to or greater than my life points, I can special summon a monster from my grave in attack position, and when that monster leaves the field, it's removed from play; come back, Power Tool Dragon!" With only 2300 attack points, Rua knew his monster would be destroyed in a second, but Ruka's confident, knowing smile told a different story.

"Now activate my trap card!" She cried out to him.

"Huh?" Rua stared in confusion, wondering why on Earth Ruka didn't activate her own…he remembered back to the moment when Ruka added that one card to his deck, thought to how Ruka insisted on him bringing back Power Tool Dragon. "Couldn't be…could it?" Rua swallowed, made a fierce face as he looked up at XX-Saber Gottoms which was prepared to decapitate his monster if he did nothing. "I activate my sister's trap card…Buster Mode!" His eyes grew wide as he saw the card reveal itself as Buster Mode, and only grew wider at the glow that came from his deck as one card near the bottom flew out and into his hand. "By sacrificing a Synchro Monster I control, I can special a Buster monster with the same name from my deck in attack position! Come on out, Power Tool Dragon Buster!"

An entranced glee filled Rua's eyes as he watched Power Tool Dragon transform before his eyes, becoming larger, fiercer, shovel and screwdriver replaced by blade and axe, yet the look in its eyes was the same as ever, a gentle look of hope that wanted him to be safe; for a moment Rua found himself back in the moment when he'd first gotten Power Tool Dragon, just a tiny little kid whose mouth was more developed than his brain…and in all honesty things hadn't changed that much. But they'd changed enough, with this one step. "Ruka, you're the best!" Rua said as he swept up his sister in his arms and started spinning her around.

"Rua…please, put me down." She said, laughing with a wan smile on her face, and so Rua did as she said.

"2800 attack points…you'll survive this turn, but your monster won't!" XX-Saber Gottoms raised its sword high above its head, prepared to bring it down onto Power Tool Dragon Buster's head.

"Wrong move pal!" Rua turned back to Tsubasa, clenched his fist as he grinned like a cocky little bastard. "When Power Tool Dragon Buster's attacked, I can take a Synchro Monster from the grave and equip it to my monster, increasing Power Tool Dragon Buster's attack power by the equipped monster's, and so I choose Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Ruka's monster returned from the grave, and as it flew in front of Rua's monster, Tsubasa's eyes started shaking.

"Stop!" His voice was frantic. "End your attack, now!" The urgency in his voice had nothing to do with Power Tool Dragon Buster's increased attack power. "Fulhelmknight, activate your effect and negate my attack, now!" Fulhelmknight whipped his electric chain around Gottoms and pulled back as hard as it could, drawing on strength that not even Gottoms knew. Thus, Ancient Fairy Dragon was able to join with Power Tool Dragon Buster uninterrupted.

Rua watched Tsubasa fall to his knees clutching his head, Yua at his side shaking his shoulders. "That happened before, didn't it?" Rua said, memories clicking together. "And not just in Jack's duel either, it happened even before that, didn't it?"

Tsubasa and Yua looked into each other's eyes. Yua helped him back to his feet. Tsubasa nodded. "Her name was Shizuka, the younger sister of the man who'd employed me and Yua at his estate. I, that is we, me and Shizuka, we were…I thought we were anyway, that's how it seemed at the time, and I can't think of any moments where it didn't seem genuine." Tsubasa let out a heavy sigh, scratched the back of his neck. "I can't believe I'm sharing this story with a couple of kids, even if one of them is a Signer." Tsubasa shook his head. "Anyway, like Yua had said before, our employer had tried to force himself onto her, and when I caught the bastard, I tried to hit him…" He shuddered.

"And Shizuka took the blow for him, didn't he?" Ruka said. Tsubasa nodded.

"The trial was a farce, our employer's role omitted, but neither Tsubasa nor I objected." Yua continued the story. "We'd cosigned ourselves to existing in the detention center, and the Satellite after that, when the Black Rose Witch, Aki, attacked. All that power she was throwing around, it seemed to trigger our power, and with that power came the realization that there was something we could do in this hopelessly twisted and corrupt world of ours, and meeting Lord Divine confirmed this for us; he told us about himself, how his power had awoken when he was young and he wound up hurting someone close to him because of it, and so he swore he would master his power, and help all other Psychic Duelists master theirs; even though he hadn't asked anything about us, he could just tell that we were the same, and so we decided to follow him."

"…He told you he'd hurt a friend that was close to him, and that was what drove him?" Rua blinked as Yua and Tsubasa nodded. "That's not what he told me; he told me he'd helped his friend when she was turned away by his orphanage and helped her find a place to stay, and promised her he would change the world for her." Their eyes narrowed. "He's been lying to us, all of us, and you know what? That means that…" Rua started snapping his fingers; of all the times for him to not be able to find the words he needed!

"You claim Lord Divine lied to us?" Yua said, hand shaking so much that she couldn't adjust her glasses as they slid down her nose.

"That's damn big talk kid, you better be prepared to back that up on your turn, or else we're going to find out what Lord Divine has in mind for those who slander his name; I activate XX-Saber Gottoms's effect and sacrifice Fulhelmknight, Garsem, and Souza to discard all three cards in your hand!" Gottoms pierced through the cards in Rua's hand, leaving him with nothing. "I end my turn!"

"Turn 12, Rua and Ruka: 2700 life points, Yua and Tsubasa: 4800 life points."

"Trust me, I can and I will." Rua stepped forward as he drew his card. "Ruka, my sister, she's given me this chance, and you might think it's a little thing, just a normal card without any special powers or fate being used by a regular kid, but before my turn is over, I'm going to show you that even something that small can change the whole world!" Rua swept his arm out. "I activate Power Tool Dragon Buster's second effect; once per turn during my main phase, I can send the monster equipped to mine to the grave and destroy every spell and trap card you control, gaining 400 attack points for every card so destroyed until the end of the turn!" Ancient Fairy Dragon shot out of Power Tool Dragon Buster's chest and flew around Yua and Tsubasa's monsters and sliced its wings right through all seven of their spell cards, bringing Vylon Alpha down to size while Saber Vault vanished, returning everyone to the Arcadia Movement HQ. Yua's hand became filled with Vylon Spell cards, but she wasn't going to get to activate them. "Finally, Power Tool Dragon Buster has no cards equipped to it, I can attack every monster you control once each!" Yes, just like Ruka had left behind her field spells while still being empowered by their memory, he would reach his greatest strength by leaving behind his equip spell cards! "Power Tool Dragon Buster, kick their asses and knock some sense into them!" Rua's monster stretched its arms out and flew forward in a corkscrew, the vortex drawing in Yua's and Tsubasa's monsters, allowing it to wipe them all out, and with them all of their life points.

Yua slumped down, and Tsubasa tried to catch her, only to fall down with her. "Kid…Rua…me and Yua owe you and your sister an apology; we'd thought that our power set us apart, made it so that what we were doing wasn't really wrong." Tsubasa let out a guttural sigh.

"Apology accepted." Rua said as he extended his hand to Tsubasa while Ruka did the same with Yua. "I used to think the same way, kind of." He turned to his sister, flashed her a smile.

"That's good." Yua said, and then the building rumbled. "You two need to hurry; it seems like Aki's almost ready to destroy the city with her power." She then pointed down the hall where they'd come from.

"Right." Ruka turned to her brother. "Let's get back to Yusei and the others." He nodded, and together they ran down the hall, side by side.


	39. Chapter 39

**Shield Against Shield**

* * *

><p>"It's happened again!" Professor Akutsu shrieked thorough the video phone. "Director Godwin, the strange, anomalous, unprecedented, theoretically unheard of spike in the Momentum System has happened again!" The man spun about with his arms out, on his toes even; Godwin idly wondered if the crazed professor had a background in ballet.<p>

"And it happened just as Ruka summoned Savior Fairy Dragon?" Godwin looked at the monitor on his desk, showing him the data on the duels that Jack and Ruka had engaged in; Yusei had yet to duel, yet he had confidence that when he did, he would achieve the same release of power that his fellow Signers had.

"Indeed!" Akutsu stood still, en pointe. "As one man of science to another, this is an exciting time to be alive!"

"Even though many people are injuring and killing one another as we speak?" Godwin also had a tally of how many of his forces had died on the monitor, and it was still rising.

"S-sir, I am aware of that!" Professor Akutsu stood at attention, saluted. "I only mean to say that with this, even in the event of something happening to the Fifth Dragon preventing its recovery, we may yet have a new avenue to achieving Momentum's final development into a true Infinite Energy System!" His restraint exhausted, Akutsu brought his hands together in a loud clap.

"Very good Akutsu; keep your eye on the system and inform me if anything dangerous arises."

"Absolutely Director Godwin!" Akutsu closed the connection, and Godwin was alone once more in his office.

He brought up the cards on his monitor, Salvation Dragon – Savior Dragon, Savior Demon's Dragon, and Savior Fairy Dragon; they were cards that did not exist, had never been produced or even conceived of, yet they were recognized by the Duel Discs as the Signers played them; what was more, the timing of the plays suggested a lack of hesitation, a lack of awareness of anything strange having happened. "A sign of the God's awakening?" Each Dragon was but one piece of a greater whole, a power that was to be summoned by all five Signers in concert; if they were already tapping into that power, if it was already overtaking them… "Yusei, it takes at least three data points to be certain of anything. For the sake of your city and your parents dreams, do not let me down."

* * *

><p>"Exploder Dragonwing!"<p>

"Turbo Warrior!"

"Attack!" Jack and Yusei shouted together, and their monsters mowed down their respective opponents, wiping away their life points and knocking them unconscious. The elevators weren't working, and so Jack, Yusei, and Setsuko had to run up every floor, one by one, and every floor had Psychic Duelists ready to fight them and any other invaders they came across. Everywhere he looked, Jack saw battles that triggered memories of his time in Team Satisfaction; he found himself, Yusei, and Kiryuu in the faces of their opponents, their eyes blazing with the determination of their cause, refusing to give even an inch of ground until they could no longer stand, and even then there were those whose bodies stood where their minds fell. They believed, they believed sincerely and deeply in the righteousness of their cause, just as he and Yusei had believed in Kiryuu.

"He was trying to stir up rebellion against me." Kiryu had said, and for a moment the echo of that memory had substance enough to stop Jack in his tracks. "You see? Security Officers are still human after all, just like us." He saw Kiryuu standing over a fallen Pyschic Duelist, blood dripping from his hands. Then Kiryuu vanished, replaced by the reality of the Security Officer that was there, butt of his rifle raised and about to be brought down onto the unconscious Psychic Duelist's head.

"Enough!" Jack shouted, stunning the officer. "Don't waste time on a defeated opponent, continue securing the tower!" Jack pointed at him, his arm aglow with the crimson light of his Dragon Birthmark.

"Y-yes sir!" The officer saluted and ran off on his own.

"Jack." Yusei finished propping up his opponent so that when he recovered, his arm would not be asleep. "We're almost there." He held up his arm, the glow from it threatening to burn his eyes if he looked at it too long.

"Right." Aki, the Black Rose Witch, Setsuko's daughter, and Signer; for months she had terrorized Neo Domino City, used her power to destroy public property and kill numerous civilians, all at the direction of Divine. Once Jack had thought to apprehend Aki, back when he believed himself better than her, believed he was in a position to judge and condemn her for her crimes. Now? Having been driven to the nadir of his existence, he knew what it was he had to do, for the rest of his life if he had to.

"Aki, please, wait a little longer." Setsuko looked at her locket. "Don't let us be too late." The tower rumbled again, Jack felt his arm burn, and so they resumed their journey, racing down the halls to find the next stairway up; the labyrinthine structure was clearly meant for what was happening right now, forcing invading forces to waste time and energy finding their way while those who lived there would already know all the shortcuts like the back of their hand

"Stop, I surrender!" They all heard the voice shout, and it was close by; they ran, found the door, opened it; it was a large room with a stairway at the opposite end, and blocking it was a young man with hair draped over his eyes, his mouth upturned in a toothless grin. Standing over him in the air was a warrior in heavy plate armor, diamonds embedded on the chest, gauntlet, and pauldrons, and the sword it wielded had seven gems the color of the rainbow. His opponent was Daichi, the man who'd dueled against Ruka in the Fortune Cup; he had Naturia Beast and Naturia Barkion on the field, and an empty deck. "Akira, I lose on my next turn, so just end your turn!"

"No, not after what you've done to me, and especially not after what you've done to her! Master Diamond, claim Gem-Knight Topaz's effect, and kill him!" Electricity arced from Master Diamond's sword, sweeping across both of Daichi's monsters and making them explode with such force that it slammed Daichi into the wall. Then Master Diamond ran him through, depositing him with the rest of the bodies in the room as it vanished. Akira was breathing hard, shaking all over. "Another one is dead, I sent them to hell where they belonged." He wasn't talking to them. "You don't ever have to worry Aki, I won't let a single one of them get to you."

"Akira, was it?" Yusei stepped forward, Akira's head snapped up in awareness. "We don't have time for any more fights like this." Jack stepped forward with Setsuko, but Akira's eyes remained on Yusei. "You're being deceived, you all are."

"You…Yusei…you're Yusei." Akira's voice was slow and quiet. "You're the one who's been tormenting Aki most of all." The air crackled with electricity. "You've confused her, left her in doubt that Lord Divine has had to use all his power to combat." Cracks appeared along the wall. "You…if I can kill you, then Aki will finally be at peace!" Akira reached for his deck when Jack ran up and grabbed his arms.

"Yusei, hurry!"

"Jack!" Pressure waves hammered Jack's body, becoming stronger and stronger the longer he tried to restrain Akira.

"Listen Yusei, you've wasted enough of your strength as is, you'll need all that you have to face Aki, and this punk wants to kill you more than anyone else! Let me take care of him." Jack felt a rib crack, was this kid really a Psychic Duelist, to be able to unleash this kind of power without a card?

"…Make sure you return, Jack." Yusei and Jack nodded, and so he ran with Setsuko; Akira summoned a surge of strength to try and throw Jack off, but Jack refused, not until after Yusei and Setsuko were up the stairs and on the other side of the door.

"No!" Jack let go of Akira, and to his surprise Akira did not try to run up the stairs after Yusei. "You!" He pointed at Jack. "I won't kill you quick like the others, I'll make sure I draw it out until hell itself becomes a reprieve for you!" Akira drew his cards, a gust of wind in the wake of his swinging arm. "I summon Gem-Knight Sardonyx." Akira's monster was a warrior in light orange armor, a polished onyx on its breast plate, and wielding a chain and spiked-ball which it slammed into the ground with the full force of its 1800 attack points. Jack envisioned his head where the blow had struck, and did not care to do so again. "Then I set one card, and end my turn."

"Turn 2, Jack Atlas: 4000 life points, Akira: 4000 life points."

"You clearly think highly of yourself." Jack drew his card. "Let us bear witness to the truth of your meager capabilities! I special summon Vice Dragon from my hand at half attack power in accordance with its effect, and then I summon Magic Hole Golem in defense position." Jack's dragon was joined by a construct shaped like a giant ring, a gold and blue portal with 2000 defense points. "I activate Magic Hole Golem's effect, cutting Vice Dragon's attack in half once more so that it may attack you directly." Vice Dragon shrank down to fit through Magic Hole Golem, and so reduced it was able to fly past Akira's monster and blast him straight in the face for 500 points of damage.

"You think to frighten me with such a paltry attack?" Akira threw his head back, his hair coming off his eyes to reveal sunken in pits. "I faced far worse when I was six, when my powers first manifested." The image of a child standing before his mother impressed itself on Jack's mind, a broken pan on the counter and an arm that had been twisted behind his back. Tears stained the cheeks of the child while the seeds of self-hate took root. "She was just the first of them to try and make me think I was an unworthy monster, and you're just the latest one of them who will suffer for it."

"One or two people, and now the whole world's out to get you?" Jack took two cards from his hand and set them in his spell/trap zone. "I'll grant you, this is a twisted and cruel world we're in…"

"And that's what we're trying to change! We're trying to carve out a space where we can live out in the open, in peace, without people like you to condemn us for powers we never asked for!"

"Very well then, I end my turn."

"Turn 3, Jack Atlas: 4000 life points, Akira: 3500 life points."

"Now, show just how you plan on changing the world, boy."

Akira's eyes flared in response to his taunt. "I expend my Normal Summon to access Gem-Knight Sardonyx's effect, so that when I destroy a monster by battle I can add any Gem-Knight I want from my deck to my hand. Now, Sardonyx, attack his pathetic dragon, and show him the beginnings of my strength!" Akira's monster grabbed hold of its chain, spun the spiked ball over its head to build up force for its attack.

"And now we see the impulsiveness of youth exposed; I activate my trap card, Nightmare Daemons, sacrificing Vice Dragon to special summon three Nightmare Daemon tokens to your side of the field in attack position." Three monsters, all with 2000 attack points, yet they would do him no good; if his suspicions were correct, Akira's face-down card would bring out a monster strong enough to attack his Magic Hole Golem, and then he would have nothing left.

"Youth, you say?" Akira seethed. "I may be young, but I'm not a fool, not me, she always told me how bright I was, how much promise I had, that my power would see me through, and I'm going to prove her right!" As Akira raised his arm, Jack saw the image of a young woman with hair just like Akira's. It vanished, leaving his opponent behind. "I activate my trap card, Pyroxene Fusion, sending Sardonyx on my field and Gem-Knight Garnet in my hand to the grave to Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Citrine!" With gauntlets and blade that were molten hot, Gem-Knight Citrine appeared and attacked without fear. "When Citrine attacks or is attacked, you can't activate any cards or effects until the end of the damage step!" With that, Gem-Knight Citrine sliced through Magic Hole Golem, leaving Jack's monster nothing but a pile of slag on the ground. "And now…that's what you want to hear, isn't it? You want me to walk right into your trap, give you a chance to activate your face-down card? I could see it on your face, you wanted to activate it when Citrine attacked, but you couldn't?" Akira started grinning. "You see, she was right, I am better than you think I am, and I'm proving it here and now, so I'll end my battle phase and set one card to end my turn."

"Turn 4, Jack Atlas: 4000 life points, Akira: 3500 life points."

"So you do have some talent and capability." Jack drew his card. "Still, I can't agree with what 'she' said; you tell a child they're bright and capable, and you leave them unprepared for when they inevitably fail."

"How…you have no right! Kaoru was the only one who believed in me, and I will not hear you blaspheme her name with such…take your turn, now!" The floor to the right of him and Akira cracked; Jack had managed eke something out of his opponent, but…

"Have it your way then; when you control two or more monsters, I can normal summon Power Invader from my hand without sacrifice." Jack's monster was a hulking, over-muscled figure with white rings all over its body. "Power Invader, attack the Nightmare Daemon token furthest to the right." Jack's monster leaped into the air and slammed its whole body against its target, crushing it; the Nightmare Daemon token then activated its effect, inflicting 800 damage onto Akira upon its destruction, which with the 200 battle damage Power Invader did, made for a total of 1000 points of damage. "So, do you want to call that a paltry attack as well, or are you going to admit that you've gone in over your head against me?"

"Proud of this, aren't you? Kicking me around to make yourself look strong, to mask how afraid of me you really are?" Akira spat out onto the floor. "When I was 12 years old, that worked on me then, even when she kept trying to convince me otherwise." Jack felt a hand on his cheek, and for a moment he'd thought that Martha was there; it was that same gentle, nurturing silken feeling that did not hide the power just beneath the skin. "When she looked at me, I could forget everything I knew about myself and the world I lived in, and believe in the dream she kept telling me about." Akira fell silent.

"Be that as it may, all you've done is trade one set of lies for another; I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 5, Jack Atlas: 4000 life points, Akira: 2500 life points."

"Lies?" Akira's face twisted itself up. "You would accuse Lord Divine of lying to me?" Akira shook his head. "No, no, I am living proof that Lord Divine didn't lie to me; he changed me, taught me how to use my power, and gave me the reason to use it."

"To defend Aki?" Jack frowned as Akira nodded. "To defend your surrogate for this…Kaoru, of yours?"

"Aki is no mere…you're wrong! Aki's spirit, it's the same as Kaoru's, that's something I knew from the start, from the very moment I first saw Aki, without anyone having to tell me!" Akira then looked up and through the ceiling. "She really does have such a gentle heart in her, and once she's finally free of her curse, she will grace the world once more."

"You really are pathetic, aren't you?" Kiryuu's shade appeared at Akira's side. "So wrapped up in your own incoherent delusions, you can't even imagine that you're not seeing reality anymore."

"We'll see if you can keep up that talk, when I do this! I summon Gem-Knight Sapphire to the field." It was a normal monster, a knight that controlled the water with the slightest movements of its hands, yet it had no effect, it was all sophistry. "Now, I activate my spell card, Particle Fusion; by sending monsters from my field to the grave, I can fusion summon a Gem-Knight monster." Sapphire turned to water and flowed into the cracks of Citrine's armor, and those cracks grew; a shining pillar of light consumed the two monsters, and then…

"Another Citrine?" Akira's first monster stood, unchanged.

"That's right Jack, but now Particle Fusion's second effect comes into play; by removing it in my grave from play, I can grant the summoned monster attack power equal to that of one of the material monsters used for the Fusion Summon, and so I think I'll take Citrine's attack power and add it to itself!" Akira's monster was now trailed by the after-image of itself. "Who else would think to give up a monster to summon itself? No one, because I was the only one she said was bright enough to do so, I was the only one who could imagine something like that! And don't think I've gotten sloppy either, I'm switching both of my Nightmare Daemon tokens to defense position." The two remaining monsters curled in on themselves. "Citrine, kill Power Invader!" Jack's monster was able to catch the first blade, but then Citrine's double overwhelmed it, and together Akira's monsters eviscerated Jack's; then they marched on him, continuing their assault and bringing their swords down onto Jack's shoulder's, forcing him down onto his knees. "There, now you're where you and the rest of you belong, on your knees, in pain, for everything you've all done to me, and especially to her!"

"If you think I've hurt you, Akira…" Jack rose back up, the stinging sensation in his arms unrelenting; the Dragon Birthmark seemed determined to keep him alive judging from the brilliance of its glow, but there were limits even to that strange power. "…You haven't truly experienced a duel with the King!"

"What are you…what?!" Akira gaped as the Nightmare Daemon tokens uncurled, drooled at the thought of battle.

"My trap card, Dangerous Lure; at the end of the battle phase, if my opponent controls monsters in defense position, I switch them to attack position and force them to attack me. Ah, there it is, I see it in your eyes; you've realized that you've been dancing at the King's direction, swept up in the duel that he dictates, a duel that surpasses the power of a confused child and the maniac who has his claws in that child's psyche! I activate my trap card, Radiant Mirror Force!" A wall of light appeared before Jack. "When the opponent declares an attack while controlling three or more monsters, I can destroy all of their attack position monsters!"

"Fine, destroy the Nightmare Daemons, but you won't have my Gem-Knight; I activate my trap card, Gem-Enhancement, sacrificing one Gem-Knight I control to special summon another Gem-Knight from my grave; return in defense position, Gem-Knight Sapphire!" The blinding light of Jack's trap tore apart the Nightmare Daemon tokens, inflicting 1600 points of damage through their effect, but Gem-Knight Sapphire weathered the fury of that power. "You're determined and dangerous Jack, but your kind…when I was 16, just barely a year ago…I saw the full horror of what your kind was capable of."

Reality snapped; for an instant they were on the sidewalk, everything looked so much bigger than it actually was, the people most of all; they'd crowded around Akira, pointing to a nearby broken window, their shouts echoing past the point of coherence, the pressure of them driving Akira down to the ground, huddled up in the fetal position. Jack saw the woman, Kaoru, his older sister…no, Akira's older sister, Jack reminded himself, shaking off the immediacy of Akira's memories; still, he saw the moment when one of the men knocked her aside, harder than he'd meant, her sidelong collapse onto the street, just as a bus was pulling in, their bus. Akira shrieked, he unleashed his power in a wave of pressure that did nothing to deter the bus's course.

"Turn 6, Jack Atlas: 1800 life points, Akira: 900 life points."

Jack forced the memory out before the fatal moment. He looked at his hand, found that he couldn't take advantage of the opportunity before him. "I summon Hyper Synchron in defense position, and set one card to end my turn."

"Turn 7, Jack Atlas: 1800 life points, Akira: 900 life points."

Akira was breathing hard, slumped over, his hair back over his eyes. "Lord Divine found me in the confusion, spirited me away before anyone could turn their attention back to me; they would have arrested me, blamed me for what happened even though I was the one who tried to stop it. Lord Divine knew this, because that's exactly what happened to him." Jack perked his ears up at that; hadn't Hayate… "Yes, for him, it was his older brother, but the story was the same, and it inspired him to take control of his power, to help all of us like him to control our power, and punish all those who persecuted us out of fear of our power."

"…Don't get me wrong Akira, I'm more then capable of sympathizing with you." Jack closed his eyes, saw the reassurance of Rally's smile. He opened his eyes, saw Kiryuu's depraved grin give way to Akira's. "Unfortunately, it seems like everyone else in this cult of personality, you've been deceived."

"You said that before, that Lord Divine had lied to me."

"And now you've proven it to me with your own words; Hayate told me a similar story, except the details don't fit with what you'd just said, and I'm sure that when each surviving member of the Arcadia Movement is questioned, they'll each proclaim a slightly different sob story of Divine's fully in line with what happened to them." Akira's eyes were shaking. "I guess your brainwashing isn't so complete after all; good, there might be hope for you yet."

"SHUT UP!" Hurricane force winds threatened to uproot Jack, but the light of his Dragon Birthmark caught the wind, divided it. "I am doing everything I can to protect Aki, and I will not hear any doubts!" Akira almost tore the card from his deck as he drew it. "I have found my purpose in life, and that is to wipe you from the face of the Earth! I activate Gem-Knight Fusion, sending Sapphire on the field and Gem-Knight Obsidian in my hand to the grave to fusion summon Gem-Knight Amethyst." Amethyst was clad in purple armor, armed with a wrist-mounted water gun and a swirling shield. "And, when sent from the hand to the grave, Obsidian's effect activates to special summon a normal Gem-Knight in my grave to the field, so I'll bring back Gem-Knight Garnet, and then I'll remove Gem-Knight Sapphire in my grave to return Gem-Knight Fusion to my hand and activate it once more, sending Amethyst, Garnet, and Amber in my hand to the grave to Fusion-Summon Gem-Knight Master Diamond!" Now the monster that had killed Daichi, and in all likelihood the rest of Akira's opponents, stood before Jack, sword held at arm's length and pointed straight at him. "Now Amethyst's effect activates, returning your face-down card to your hand." Jack took his card back, and watched impassively as Master Diamond destroyed Hyper Synchron. "Now, now it's only a matter of time, before I can show Aki the final proof of my strength, by killing one of you, the Signers that she so hates and detests! I end my turn!"

"Turn 8, Jack Atlas: 1800 life points, Akira: 900 life points."

Jack wondered at that; the fury Aki showed to Yusei at the Fortune Cup, what was the source of it? Yes, it had to do with the Dragon Birthmarks, but what was it that separated Yusei from him and Ruka? It was a matter that could be attended to after he'd won. "I set two cards and end my turn."

"Turn 9, Jack Atlas: 1800 life points, Akira: 900 life points."

"How pathetic Jack; Aki defeated you like you were nothing, and now I'm going to do the same!" Akira drew his card. "I activate Gem-Knight Master Diamond's effect, and remove one Gem-Knight Citrine in my grave from play to grant Master Diamond its name and effect, which will allow me to attack with impunity!"

"That's true for your Gem-Knight, but what about your Gift Daemon tokens?" Jack smirked, having activated Revival Gift to bring back Hyper Synchron in defense position with its effect negated while special summoning two Gift Daemon tokens to Akira's side of the field in attack position.

"No, this isn't like before Jack, your trap needs a monster on the field to activate, and so if I use Master Diamond first, it won't work!" Once again Master Diamond destroyed Hyper Synchron, clearing the way for the first Gift Daemon token to strike directly; Jack caught the monster's blow, 1500 points of direct damage damn near breaking his hand. "I was right, you were bluffing; second Gift Daemon, finish him off!"

"Counter-Trap, Negate Attack!" Akira's attack was absorbed by a mysterious void in space.

"Wh…what was the point of that?" Akira's eyes were pulled taut by the confusion on his face. "You could have avoided that first attack, so why didn't you?"

Jack grinned. "Why indeed? Perhaps if you would end your turn, you could find out."

"…Fine, I set one card, and end my turn."

"Turn 10, Jack Atlas: 300 life points, Akira: 900 life points."

"And now, before anything else, I activate my trap card, Gem-Knight Guardian!" A pair of heavy gem-encrusted shields appeared over both Gift Daemon tokens. "When I control a Fusion Gem-Knight, until the end of the turn you can only target that Gem-Knight with attacks and effects, and that Gem-Knight can't be destroyed." Akira grinned. "Now, no matter what you draw, it won't do you any good, because you won't be able to take advantage of these worthless tokens you've saddled me with."

"If I were as primitive and base in my strategies as you, perhaps." Jack drew his card, smooth and easy. "I activate the spell card, Rise to the Challenge!" A series of huge mirrors appeared all around both duelists, encircling them. "When I have fewer life points than my opponent and control no cards, I can draw one card for every monster they control."

"But…you couldn't have…" Akira kept turning his head about.

"The duel is a mirror that reflects the souls of both duelists." Jack took his first card. "The cards that we put our souls into know the truths that even we refuse to admit." Jack added the second card. "Now, let me show you the mirror reflecting your own soul!" Jack drew his third and final card. "I activate Burden of the Mighty, reducing the attack power of all monsters you control by 100 times their own level." Gem-Knight Master Diamond's sword became nine times as heavy as before, dragging down Akira's ultimate monster; its own effect increased its attack power by 100 per Gem-Knight in the grave, 6 at present, but even they could do nothing to budge the sword that was now stuck in the ground. "You are powerful, but so long as you let yourself be deceived, that power will amount to nothing."

Akira was looking down at the ground, away from the mirrors. "No, even with this…you still can't…"

"I activate the spell card Monster Reborn and special summon Hyper Synchron back from the grave, and next I summon Medium Piece Golem from my hand, allowing me to tune it to Hyper Synchron." Four rings crashed through the mirrors behind Jack, four stars shattered the mirrors at their sides. "The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Demon's Dragon!" Jack clenched his fist, the light of his Dragon Birthmark reflected in the mirrors save the one directly behind Akira. "When used as the material for the Synchro Summon of a Dragon monster, Hyper Synchron's effect activates, increasing my monster's attack power by 800!" Red Demon's Dragon reached out with its claw and picked up Gem-Knight Master Diamond as though it were a tin doll. "Now." Jack walked up to Akira, who was on the ground, curled up with his hands gripped tight on his head. "Get up!"

"No…no…this isn't…I can't…"

Jack grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and picked him up, pointed him at the mirror and used his other hand to pull his head back. "Open your eyes."

"No!"

"Why? Are you afraid of a little blood?" Jack looked at his reflection in the mirror, saw the blood on his hands, saw the blood that now soaked Akira's arms. "This is what you've been doing with your power, just like your Lord Divine wanted you and Aki to do; you tell me, was Kaoru the sort of person to welcome such an embrace?"

"You…you didn't know her…"

"And judging from what you've been saying, you never did; you took her kindness and put her on a pedestal, never once acknowledging her as human" Jack remembered, back when he and Yusei were kids, the first time they ever saw Martha crying, when she thought she was all alone. "Face the truth, all of it!"

"I…I…" Above them Red Demon's Dragon tightened its grip, crushing Master Diamond for 1300 points of damage, more than sufficient to wipe out Akira's remaining life points. "I…" He passed out, Jack dropped him to the ground before falling back himself, his injuries catching up to him.

Jack heard footsteps heading his way, down the hall. "Yusei." Jack forced himself to his feet, ignoring the screams of his hands. "Don't worry, I don't plan on dying, not yet."

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><p>"Thank you very much, Akira." Divine said, watching the myriad battles on the monitor before him, watching as one by one they wound down; though they'd suffered many casualties, they were still ahead of Godwin's forces, and so when Aki unleashed her power on the city, the remaining members of the Arcadia Movement could mop up the survivors. "You will be rewarded for your service this day." Divine then expanded the window that showed Aki; Yusei would be there soon. "Now Yusei, the time has come for you to help me once more; just draw out Aki's rage and hate like you did at the Fortune Cup, and the rest will take care of itself."<p> 


	40. Chapter 40

**Time, Judgement, All Fates Are Intertwined**

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>For the final turn of the duel, I recommend that you go onto Youtube and search "Time Judged All Magenta" and click on the first video provided. Thank you, and on with the story.

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><p>Yusei Fudou put his hand on the doorknob; it felt as though it would burn his hand into ashes, and he recalled one of Martha's books saying that this was a sign of a backdraft, a sudden rush of oxygen feeding the fire and causing it to explode. This was different though; the fire was a mental one, relayed through the Dragon Birthmark and conveying all the hate that Aki had taken on herself, while he was the oxygen, the moment he stepped in to confront Aki she would unleash all that negative power against him. "Setsuko." He turned his head to face Aki's mother.<p>

"Yusei." She put her hand over his on the doorknob, she winced from the shadow of what he'd felt. She tightened her grip. Yusei nodded, she responded in kind. They opened the door together.

"Yusei Fudou." The air was thick and hazy as he and Setsuko stepped into the room. Aki rose from her meditative posture, her eyes passing over Setsuko without response or recognition. "Somehow, I would have expected you to face Akira instead of throwing Jack aside in your place; I don't know why, you turned Ruka against her brother without a second thought."

"Aki." Spontaneous static discharges in the air gave off the scent of ozone. Aki's skin was pale, the light of her Dragon Birthmark like the tail-end of an oil-fire. "I'm sorry."

Aki's eyes' narrowed. "You pity me." She raised her arm, the fire increased in intensity. "We both share this cursed mark, and yet you think you stand above me, pawn of Godwin; Divine so wanted you on his side, to wipe away Godwin's corruption and punish this city for everything it's done in the name of Utopia." The wall behind Aki cracked. "I will make you serve Divine's purpose for you, and mine as well." The cracks grew deeper. "At the Fortune Cup, I focused on destroying you then and there, and so you survived." Pieces of the wall fell down and away, revealing slivers of the city. "This time, I will destroy you and your future, and with it the future of Neo-Domino City!" The wall tore itself apart and flung itself outside, revealing a helicopter moving up and away. Aki turned her head to look at it, reached for her deck.

"Aki!" Setsuko's voice had no impact on Aki, her hand was about to take the top card and put it on her duel disc. "They haven't done anything!"

"You…" Aki looked back at them, at Setsuko. "…You are Senator Ikeda, the one who betrayed Lord Divine." Setsuko's breath hitched. Yusei put his hand on Setsuko's shoulder, hoping that he could give her strength enough to see her through. "Whatever purpose you have here, it will not be fulfilled and so does not matter."

Setsuko took a deep breath. "I am here for the same reason that Yusei is here, that Ruka and even Jack came, and I'm certain Rua is the same way; we're all here, because we want to help you see the truth Aki, we want to show you that Divine has been lying to you ever since we'd first met him."

"We?" Aki smirked, shook her head. "The only we in this room, is me and Yusei."

Yusei threw himself in front of Setsuko, his back to Aki, his back now burning with pain. "Are you okay?" Yusei kept his voice small, too small for Aki to hear as the wind howled from the outside.

Setsuko shook her head. "Divine had said he'd sealed away Aki's memories of what had happened…I didn't want to think that…"

"She will remember." Yusei turned to face Aki, their Dragon Birthmarks pulsed in time with one another. "Aki, it will hurt." Kiryuu stood over the Security Officer with blood dripping down off his hands, Rally's boat turned over and dropped his body into toxic water. "But you have to remember Aki, that's the only way you can set yourself free from your pain."

"No." Aki frowned. "Lord Divine has shown me how to end my pain; when I have visited all my suffering onto everyone in Neo-Domino City, then my curse will be lifted." Aki armed her duel disc. "Fight me Yusei, take my rage and raise it to a fevered pitch, and be consumed by it."

Yusei closed his eyes. He saw Aki in the final moments of his duel with her at the Fortune Cup, saw the tears in the corners of her eyes; the memory had been cold-burned into his mind thanks to Divine. "I will take your rage Aki, all your pain, anguish, and suffering." He saw Kiryuu, saw him as he was in the lead-up to that faithful day. "I will not make the same mistake again." Yusei armed his duel disc, drew his cards; Setsuko stepped back, gave Yusei room, but refused to leave the room herself. "I activate the spell card Tuning, and add Quickdraw Synchron to my hand and send the top card from my deck to the grave." Yusei turned the top card over, Junk Synchron; this would work well with what he had in his hand. "Next, I send a monster from my hand to the grave to special summon Quickdraw Synchron, and then reduce Quickdraw Synchron's level by one to special summon Level Eater back from the grave." A bug with a star emblem on its back crawled up out of the ground and chewed on a robotic cowboy for a bit, then both of Yusei's monsters settled into place. "Then I normal summon Tuning Suporter and tune it along with Level Eater to Qucikdraw Synchron." Four rings, two stars. "Gathering bonds weave a greater force! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Turbo Warrior!" As Yusei's monster took to the field, he drew one card in accordance with Tuning Supporter's effect.

"Not starting with Stardust I see." The floor rumbled. "Don't worry, I won't be bringing Black Rose out right away either; I never do, power like that has to be unleashed in the decisive moment, or else it will not be feared like it should be."

"That's how you've dueled everytime I've seen you, all your matches at the Fortune Cup, and at the Detention Center."

"So you were there." Aki said. "Divine had wanted me to find you, drag you out before Godwin could get his hands on you; if not for Akira catching the attention of the warden, I would have succeeded." Yusei took a moment to think, and realized that the crazed young man on the lower level was the same frightened young man who'd been so terribly out of place at the Detention Center. "Still, we were able to add to our ranks significantly following the breakout, after I killed the Warden, so Divine was still pleased with me."

"And that's what matters to you? No concern for yourself and what you want?"

"All that I want for myself is to erase you and all those who've made me suffer, and Divine guides me on that path, so I will do whatever he asks of me along the way." Aki's arm twitched, pebbles tore out of the ground beneath it.

"Even if that path will destroy you?" The two duelists looked one another in the eye. "I set three cards, and end my turn."

"Turn 2, Yusei Fudou: 4000 life points, Aki Izayoi: 4000 life points."

"Divine has entrusted me with this mission, because I am the only one with the power to make his vision real, and he would never let me die in the line of duty."

"There's more to being destroyed than dying." Yusei saw himself, saw himself in that little garage, day in and day out, only leaving to search for what materials he needed in the junkyards. "I realized that after I escaped the Detention Center, and Rua and Ruka found me." Yusei remembered wanting to leave that apartment as soon as possible, not wanting the twins to get caught in the middle of his problems.

"Would that they'd missed you; you influenced Ruka, and because of that she stood against her own brother rather than join us and realize her true potential." Aki drew her card. "It is fortunate that the same did not happen with us." Aki's eye twitched, she looked down at her card, just looked at it.

"You're trying to remember." She looked up at Yusei. "The memories that Divine sealed away, you touched on one of them and now it wants to be remembered."

"There is no point in remembering; all I need is the pain from that time, the suffering that has scarred itself onto my heart, and I will make it my weapon; I activate the Permanent Spell Card, The World Tree." The tree grew behind Aki, from outside the building, from the sides of the building, Yusei could the structure groan from the added weight. "I summon Twilight Rose Knight in defense position, and activate its effect to special summon Rose Bird from my hand." The first was a young woman, pale violet hair and dark armor, the second a hideous abomination, a twisted combination of red rose and fowl that defied all reason. "Now I activate Fragrance Storm and destroy my own Rose Bird, activating its effect to special summon two Plant-type tuner monsters from my deck in defense position; come, Spore and Grow-up Bulb." The wind picked up, tossed Rose Bird about and shredded it into so much mulch, the beak and talons remaining disturbingly intact; Spore and Grow-Up Bulb emerged from the remains, oblivious to the death that had brought them onto the battlefield. Moreover, the first flower of the World Tree bloomed, one counter for Aki to use for its effect. "Furthermore, by Fragrance Storm's effect I draw one card, and if it's a plant-type monster I can reveal it to draw one more card." She took her card, added it to her hand; it was clearly not a Plant. "And now, by removing Rose Bird in my grave from play, I activate Mark of the Rose and take control of Turbo Warrior."

The rose emblem branded itself onto Turbo Warrior's forehead, Yusei's monster rushed to Aki's side of the field, bowed down to her. "Just like in our first duel, you tried to take control of my Stardust Dragon."

"And you were quick, desperate to get it back before I could use it against you. I wonder…" Aki had a pensive look on her face. "We'll see, won't we? I now activate my spell card, Wonder Clover, and send one level four Plant Type monster from my hand to grant one monster I control the ability to attack twice in the battle phase at the expense that none of my other monsters can attack. Furthermore, the card I sent to the grave was Dragging Weed, allowing me to send one level four or lower plant-type monster from my deck to the grave, and I choose Seed of Flame." Pale vines latched onto a card from the middle of Aki's deck and pulled it out and into the grave. "Now, Turbo Warrior, attack directly." Yusei found himself with his own monster staring him in the face, about to experience the raw power it held in its hands.

"I activate my trap card, Spirit Force, reducing the damage from this battle to zero and adding a Warrior-type tuner monster with 1500 defense or less from my grave to my hand." Now he had Junk Synchron in his hand, and was safe from a very serious blow. However…

"Turbo Warrior, attack again!"

"I activate Wild Tornado, and destroy Mark of the Rose, returning Turbo Warrior to my control." Objectively, he would have been better off using Wild Tornado to get rid of The World Tree, prevent Aki from being able to fuel its effects, but Turbo Warrior's attack, infused with Aki's psychic power and all the hate gathered into this one room, was not something Yusei wanted to face, not this early in the duel.

"You are afraid, Yusei Fudou, and you should be." Aki looked down at her arm, looked at how bright her Dragon Birthmark was glowing. "This power of mine is fear itself, it demands that you and all the unworthy souls of this city perish from this Earth!" Aki pointed at Yusei with that same arm. "I end my turn, so take yours, coward."

"Turn 3, Yusei Fudou: 4000 life points, Aki Izayoi: 4000 life points."

Yusei drew his card. "What I'm afraid of, is that I will fail again."

"That you will lose, like at the Fortune Cup?"

Yusei shook his head. "That I won't be able to stop another friend from losing themselves for good."

Again, Aki's eye twitched. "You and Senator Ikeda are much alike, Yusei Fudou, you both speak in an over familiar fashion to no end; you can't possibly imagine that my resolve is so easily shaken."

"No, I don't." Yusei sorted through the cards in his hand. "It wasn't easy for me either." Yusei remembered his duel with Jack, the catastrophic end that wasn't at all as it was supposed to have been. "That's why I know that you have that strength as well; I summon Junk Synchron and activate its effect to special summon Tuning Supporter from the grave in defense position with its effect negated, and then I send both monsters back to the grave to Synchro Summon Armory Arm." The mechanical gauntlet positioned itself over Turbo Warrior's arm, opened up, and equipped itself on, raising Turbo Warrior's attack power by 1000 and allowing it to inflict damage equal to the attack power of the destroyed monster. "Turbo Warrior, attack and destroy Twilight Rose Knight." A clawed hand of burning plasma emerged from Armory Arm, crushing Aki's monster into a fine powder before slamming into Aki herself for 1000 points of damage. She stood perfectly still, the damage mere numbers, an abstraction for a game and nothing more to her.

"As well; that's what you said, as in you think you are strong, Yusei Fudou? Your attacks can't even touch me, while mine…" Aki chuckled; her eyes had a bright red tint to them, distinct from the dark crimson of her Dragon Birthmark. "You will understand soon enough."

"…I end my turn."

"Turn 4, Yusei Fudou: 4000 life points, Aki Izayoi: 3000 life points."

"And now I take mine." Aki drew her card, an eager motion. "Yes, this is perfect; I summon Dark Verger from my hand, and tune it to Grow-Up Bulb." A single ring captured two stars, spinning about to generate a burning wind. "A heartrending cry that is heard only in the dead of night, the vine that spreads beneath the moonlight; Synchro Summon! Take root, Nightmare Ivy!" The floor in front of Aki broke apart as the ivy grew and took form, the thorns and leaves arranged just so as to resemble a face that had no mouth yet had to scream, and it possessed 1500 attack points. "When summoned, Nightmare Ivy destroys one plant monster I control to special summon a Nightmare Bloom Token to your side of the field in defense position; therefore, I will destroy Spore." Nightmare Ivy reached out and into Spore, filling it with more and more of itself until nothing was left of the original monster but an empty shell, which was swiftly discarded. The second flower bloomed on The World Tree, and a rose whose petals conveyed a face torn in sorrow appeared on Yusei's side of the field. "I activate The World Tree's effect, and remove two Flower Counters from it to destroy Turbo Warrior." The flowers fell apart, releasing a storm of petals and pollen that shredded and smashed Yusei's monster. "Now, Nightmare Ivy will attack and destroy the Nightmare Bloom Token." Nightmare Ivy squeezed the life out of Nightmare Bloom Token; it shrieked, the sound grabbing hold of Yusei's inner ear, subjecting him to vertigo. He hardly even noticed the addition of the Flower Counter to The World Tree. "Then, when Nightmare Bloom Token is destroyed, you must discard the top two cards of your deck."

Yusei pulled himself back up to his feet, regained his footing. "So this was what you'd meant by destroying my future." The forty cards in a duelists' deck represented the possibilities that they'd chosen for themselves; for Aki to be targeting it directly, not even waiting for Yusei to play his cards as he drew them…

"You only needed to see it once to understand, Yusei." Her smile, Aki's smile was as blank as the mask that she'd worn back at the Detention Center, the red tint in her eyes taking over the white with each passing moment. "Yes, it's the logical progression of my deck, to destroy yours such that you never even get to use your cards. It is this power that will wipe out everything and leave nothing standing, save the Arcadia Movement itself to usher in a new age."

Yusei silently turned over the top two cards of his deck, Turbo Synchron and United We Stand. The loss of his cards was not what concerned Yusei though, he had prepared his deck with a select few cards that would activate from the grave in anticipation of being destroyed; the disconcerting part was the sudden change in Aki's demeanor. "Aki, what expression are you making?"

"What sort of question is that?" Her face did not change. "Have you already despaired so greatly you can't even see anymore?"

"Just answer my question Aki; what expression are you making?"

"Fine, I'll answer; I am frowning in grim determination, awaiting the moment of your death." She said while grinning manically.

Yusei smiled. "That's what I thought." Yusei put his cards into the grave, leaving him with 28 cards in his deck. "Divine is doing everything in his power to turn you into nothing but his living weapon, but the core of your being is still you. All you have to do is let it out, let out the truth he's hiding from you, and you can win."

"Again you babble incoherently." Aki's smile grew even more, too big for her face. "Just don't let it affect your dueling, it won't satisfy me or my power if you don't give me the greatest challenge you can manage; I end my turn."

"Turn 5, Yusei Fudou: 4000 life points, Aki Izayoi: 3000 life points left."

Yusei drew his card, leaving him with 27 in his deck; he checked his hand, kept his resolve firm. "I summon Rockstone Warrior and attack Nightmare Ivy." Yusei's monster brought a heavy fist down onto Nightmare Ivy, erasing not just the face but everything else about it while the second Flower Counter bloomed. Yusei and Aki stood impassively as the 300 points of damage washed over Aki without touching her.

"And now you've activated Nightmare Ivy's second effect; when it is destroyed, I special summon a Nightmare Bloom Token to your side of the field." Aki's smile turned crooked. "You see Yusei? You can't destroy it, you can't stomp it out, this cycle is too deeply rooted to be ended by paltry half measures like yours; it must be allowed to run its course, just as Divine told me; only then will it finally be under control, only then can I be free."

"Free to do what?" Yusei eyed the Nightmare Bloom Token that had sprouted anew at his side, saw Kiryu's mad grin, so very much like Aki's. "If you go through with this, you will be trapped for the rest of your life." Yusei gripped his fist, looked down. "Please, show me that it doesn't have to end like this again."

"Again…" Aki's expression faltered, then reasserted itself. "There will not be an again."

"Then I set one card, and end my turn."

"Turn 6, Yusei Fudou: 4000 life points, Aki Izayoi: 2700 life points."

"Yes." Aki said as she drew her card. "I will bring us here, and then you will truly understand; I activate the Field Spell Card, Spreading Malice Nursery." Yusei felt a lurch in his stomach as everything turned upside-down before righting itself again, completely changed; they were in a greenhouse, rows upon rows of flowers in pots, phantasmal figures tending to them, male, bearded.

"Yusei." He turned to Setsuko, saw the recognition in her eyes; this was her husband's garden, back before Aki's power had awoken, before everything…

"Aki, what is this place to you?" He looked her in the eye, past them, beyond the mask that sought to take root in her soul.

"It is…" Concern crept into her eyes, thoughts pulled down on her smile. "This is…"

"Part of the memories that Divine doesn't want you to remember; he didn't just block off the sadness, he took away your happiness as well, leaving you nothing but your pain, your despair. No one can survive like that, not for long; that's why you have to take your memories back, no matter how much they may hurt."

"But then, then they won't suffer for what they did to me." Aki's grin returned. "My memories want to destroy me Yusei, and if you want them to come back, that means you want me destroyed as well." Her eyes twitched as the red overtook them. "Lord Divine wants me to survive, and so that is what I will do, no matter what; I activate The World Tree's effect, and destroy your Nightmare Bloom Token." The shadow of The World Tree loomed over them as the Nightmare Bloom Token shriveled away. "Now, Spreading Malice Nursery's effect activates; when a plant-type monster is destroyed, the controlling player sends the top two cards of their deck to the grave." Yusei heard a pair of snaps, looked and saw the phantasms snipping away rose-buds the same shade of red as Aki's hair. "Go on Yusei, that's four cards you have to lose."

Left with no choice, Yusei picked up the cards and looked them over; Double Cyclone, Reinforce Truth, One-Shot Rocket, and Soul Rope. The paths offered by those cards were cut off to Yusei now, dropped into the grave, his hope lied with the 23 cards left to him. "For a long time, I've heard people tell me that I had no hope, no future, all because I lived in the Satellite; I saw what happened to those who believed it, whose hopes were crushed by the weight of the world."

"And so you never did?"

Yusei shook his head. "For a long time I'd died on the inside, refusing to want anything for myself, refused to dream or hope; I was no more alive than any other body on the ground. As I said before, Rua and Ruka changed all that for me, and we want to help you in the same way."

"What help can you possibly offer to me?" Aki said with a hiss, face down but still grinning. "I already have Lord Divine, he has provided me all that I need; I activate Spore's effect and remove Seed of Flame in my grave from play to special summon Spore at level 4, and now that I have a plant-type tuner monster on the field I special summon Dark Verger." Aki resurrected them in accordance with the cycle of hate that Yusei had seen back at the Fortune Cup. "I now tune my level 2 Dark Verger to my level 4 Spore." four rings, two stars. "The seeds are spread and take root, but the blistering sun dries them out, burns them to ash. Synchro Summon! Suffer, Torment Vestige!" A scarecrow covered in brown, torn leaves, poisoned brambles and diseased branches, empty eyes that seemed to drain the world of all light, granting it its 2000 attack points. "Once per turn, I can activate Torment Vestige's effect, and remove one plant-type monster in my grave to special summon a Torment Token to your side of the field, and so I choose Dragging Weed."

The Token took the form of another scarecrow, facing Yusei, refusing to let him turn away. "Aki." He did not turn away, he reached out to the Token, took its arm.

Aki's own arm shook. "Torment Vestige, attack Torment Token!" Her tone decried the expression on her face.

"Trap card activate, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow." Yusei said without even looking up; he found a large thorn on the Torment Token's arm, put his hand on it. "At the Fortune Cup, I had no idea, I didn't know anything, and I thought to help you."

"What are you…?" Yusei pushed his hand down on the thorn. "Torment Vestige's second effect!" Aki's monster swatted Scrap-Iron Scarecrow away. "I can attack one additional time for every plant-type monster my opponent controls!" Aki's monster punched through the Token, its fist caught in the rapidly decaying body. "And now, when the Torment Token is destroyed, you take 800 points of damage and draw one card, but not until after you lose two cards from Spreading Malice Nursery's effect."

The Torment Token wrapped itself around Yusei, intent on crushing the life out of him, even as it left behind a card for him. Another pair of snips out of the corner of his ears, Yusei lost Speed Warrior and Level Warrior, and then drew one card. He looked up at Aki, said nothing. Words were not what Aki needed, were not what would convince her to open her heart up to herself.

"Now I remove two Flower Counters from The World Tree, and destroy Scrap-Iron Scarecrow." Yusei's stalwart trap was gone. "I end my turn."

"Turn 7, Yusei Fudou: 3200 life points, Aki Izayoi: 2700 life points."

Yusei drew his card; now he had only 19 cards left in his deck, and with Torment Vestige's effect, Aki would be able to grind those away in short order. He then remembered that Torment Token's defense was not zero. "I summon Ghost Gardna in defense position, and end my turn."

"Turn 8, Yusei Fudou: 3200 life points, Aki Izayoi: 2700 life points."

Aki drew her card. "First, I activate Torment Vestige's effect, and remove Spore in my grave from play to special summon a new Torment Token to your side of the field." Those hollow eyes gazed into Yusei's, a hand raised and latched onto his shoulder, squeezing, drawing blood. "Now I activate Reciprocal Draw; when my opponent controls a plant-type token, I draw two cards." Yusei heard this, but his eyes were on the Torment Token before him. "I summon Evil Thorn." The grenade-like plant grew, and then exploded in accordance with its own effect, showering Yusei in shrapnel before summoning two more copies of itself from Aki's deck; she was diminishing it alongside his, but how many were left? Yusei couldn't focus on that, not after the injuries he'd just taken. Jack had been right, had he entered this duel wounded he would not have lasted long at all. "Now, since I control at least three Plant-type monsters, I activate Leeching Root, and destroy the monster with the highest attack power on your side of the field." Barbed vines burst out of Rockstone Warrior's body, leaving nothing but rubble behind. "Torment Vestige, attack Torment Token!"

"Ghost Gardna's effect activates, and takes the attack." Yusei's monster slid into place, and though it was shredded, its second effect activated, reducing the attack power of Aki's monster by 1000, leaving it lower than Torment Token's 1200 defense power. Thus, there was nothing Aki could do as Yusei put his hand on Torment Token's other shoulder.

"I end my turn."

"Turn 9, Yusei Fudou: 2900 life points, Aki Izayoi: 2700 life points."

Yuei drew his card, he looked into Torment Token's eyes, the two stars that were hidden deep within them, the stars that stood for its level. "I summon Nitro Synchron, and activate my trap card, Give and Take, special summoning Level Warrior to your side of the field in defense position and raising Nitro Synchron's level by its." As Nitro Synchron's level increase from 2 to 5, Yusei put his hand on the Torment Token's cheek. "I tune you to Nitro Synchron, and release you." Torment Token transformed into stars, flying up into the air, allowing Yusei to look into Aki's own eyes. "Gathering feelings will now become a new force! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Blaze on, Nitro Warrior!" Yusei's monster spun about and posed as it came into being while Yusei drew his card in accordance with Nitro Synchron's effect; he had 17 cards left in his deck. "Nitro Warrior, attack Torment Vestige!"

"Torment Vestige's third effect; you cannot target it in battle while I control another plant monster." Aki's monster reached out and grabbed one of her two remaining Evil Thorns and tossed it into the path of Yusei's attack; she took 2500 damage for it, but she still had her main monster on the field. "You won't take my power from me so easily, Yusei Fudou." Aki Izayoi said, glowing red lines on her face like cracks. The twin sounds of snips from Spreading Malice Nursery, and Aki sent two cards from her deck to the grave.

"Perhaps, but there's still the matter of the monster I left with you." All eyes were on Level Warrior. "When Nitro Warrior destroys a monster by battle, I can switch one defense position monster you control to attack position, and attack it." Level Warrior stood up, fists at the ready. Nitro Warrior jetted over to it, bringing its own fists down.

"Sorry Yusei, but I prepared when I put Spreading Malice Nursery in my deck; when Reversed Lycoris is in my grave, I can remove it and one other plant-type monster in my grave from play to reduce battle damage to zero, and send the top two cards of your deck to the grave." Towering lycoris blooms surrounded Aki, the same red as the energy that had overtaken her grinning face. Yusei himself lost Road Synchron and Graceful Revival from his deck. "Fifteen cards, that's how many you have left now, Yusei Fudou; it is all that you deserve and more for what you've tried to do to me."

"…Aki, I think I understand now." Yusei said as Nitro Warrior returned to his side of the field. "The reason why you experience so much rage towards me, why you're so determined to destroy me." Aki glared at him as he raised his arm, aimed his Dragon Birthmark at her. "It's because you know I can endure your power."

The energy coursing across Aki's face spiked, and it was as though the lower half of her face fell away; her manic grin was gone, replaced by a stern frown, while her eyes were still drawn tight as though her lips were still being pulled up as high as possible at the corners. "Is that what you believe?

"You dueled against Ruka, and you dueled against Jack; neither of them drew out the anger I did, just by being there. I want to believe that that means I can reach you."

"…Prove it." Yusei just looked at her for a moment.

"I set two cards, and end my turn."

"Turn 10, Yusei Fudou: 2900 life points, Aki Izayoi: 200 life points."

"I activate my spell card, Rooting Out; by destroying one Plant-type monster I control, my opponent must discard the top two cards of their deck. I destroy my remaining Evil Thorn." Quillbolt Hedgehog and Roadrunner, only 13 cards left. Aki lost cards as well to Spreading Malice Nursery's effect, but she showed no sign of caring, either in her eyes or on her mouth. "Now, I activate The World Tree's effect once again, and destroy your Nitro Warrior."

"I activate my trap card, Split Return; by sacrificing a sixth level or higher monster I control, I can special summon two monsters from my grave whose total levels equal the sacrificed monster's in attack position with their effects negated, and if either monster leaves the field, the other is destroyed." Nitro Warrior vanished as The Word Tree's power was about to reach it. "The monsters I choose are Ghost Gardna and Level Warrior, and once they are summoned, I activate Cards of Sacrifice to draw two more cards."

"You know that I'm trying to destroy your deck, yet you deliberately choose the weakest monsters you have in order to draw more cards." Aki paused. "Then, I remove that Evil Thorn in my grave from play to activate Torment Vestige's effect, and special summon a new Torment Token to your side of the field." This time the Torment Token grabbed hold of both of Yusei's arms, he had nothing left he could play at the moment. "Torment Vestige attacks and destroys Torment Token." Yusei gasped, his heart stopped, his vision blurred as he drew his next card, he didn't even see which two cards had been sent to the grave. "Then, Torment Vestige will attack your Ghost Gardna." Yusei faced the full, unfettered force of Aki's attack, and was slammed into the ground; there was a ringing in his ears, his arms and legs were numb. "Get up Yusei; you said you could endure my power."

Her voice was distorted, he fumbled, his hands couldn't push up against the ground. "Yusei!" Someone was speaking. "Here, let me help you up." For a moment he'd thought Martha was there, but his vision cleared.

"Setsuko."

"I'm sorry Yusei; I know you said you wanted to do this for your own reasons, but I still asked you to do this, and…" She looked at Aki. "You won't mind if I keep him on his feet, will you?"

"So long as you are willing to die with him if he loses, to die with the rest of the city."

"I understand." Setsuko looked back to Yusei.

"The grave…" He muttered, and she showed him the cards that had been sent there when the Torment token had been destroyed, Turret Warrior and Fighting Spirit.

"Now, I will set one card and end my turn." Aki said, her eyes wavering between Yusei and Setsuko.

"Turn 11, Yusei Fudou: 100 life points, Aki Izayoi: 200 life points."

Freed from having to use his legs so much, Yusei was able to focus his strength into his hands, and draw his next card. "I summon, Debris Dragon, and activate its effect to special summon Tuning Supporter from the grave in attack position, with its effect negated. Then, I play…Machine Duplication, and special summon two more Tuning Supporters from my deck." Five cards left, Yusei's Tuning Supporters flanked what looked like a miniature version of Stardust Dragon. "I now, tune all three of my Tuning Supporters, increasing one of them to level 2 by its own effect, to my level 4…Debris Dragon." Four rings, four stars, Yusei's breath settled in his chest, his heart's beat was steady again. "Clustering wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Stardust Dragon!" Yusei's Dragon Birthmark shined brighter than ever, Stardust Dragon's roar shook the room. "Stardust Dragon, attack Torment Vestige." The silver light of Stardust Dragon's breath weapon washed away Aki's monster, and the sound of more roses being snipped rang clear.

"I activate my trap card, Burning Revenge; I reduce the battle damage I would have taken to zero, and special summon a Burning Token to my side of the field, with attack power equal to that damage." Yusei and Setsuko watched as the token took form, a sprite trapped in a bonfire. "Now that you've summoned your dragon, I will summon mine, and finish you off at the height of your power."

Yusei knew this was no bluff; The World Tree now had two Flower Counters on it, so she would use it first, knowing that he would have no choice but to sacrifice Stardust through its own effect; then, she would bring back Grow-Up Bulb and Dark Verger, and together with the level-4 Burning token, she would have the embodiment of her power as a Signer. He knew all this, and because he was willing to take so much damage, he had what he'd needed to survive that turn. "I set three cards…" He felt Setsuko's hand over his, making sure his grip didn't shake. "and I…we, end our turn."

"Turn 12, Yusei Fudou: 100 life points, Aki Izayoi: 200 life points."

"My turn." Aki drew her card. "I activate The World Tree's effect, and I destroy your Stardust Dragon."

"I activate Stardust Dragon's effect and sacrifice it to negate and destroy The World Tree." Stardust Dragon flew out and wrapped its wings around that tree, impossible though it was, and together they vanished.

"I set one card, and activate Grow-Up Bulb's effect, sending the top card of my deck to the grave to special summon itself back from the field, which in turn allows me to special summon Dark Verger once more." Everything was set, everything was about to happen; Grow-Up Bulb became a ring that captured six stars of light. "Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into Bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!" Aki's monster roared unopposed. "I activate Black Rose Dragon's effect, and destroy every card on the field, including the Defense Draw that you have set down for me, Yusei Fudou." Yusei was pleased at that; strength and intelligence like that, it was what he knew Aki possessed. "Furthermore, when Spreading Malice Nursery is destroyed, we each send two cards from the tops of our decks to the grave." They were back in the Arcadia Movement headquarters, the empty wall showing the city below them, and the whole rest of the room as scarred as the upper half of Aki's face.

"Not just them; you also destroyed my Guardian Soul and Beyond the Edge, both of which activate from the grave; the former removes two Synchro monsters in my grave from play to reduce all possible damage this turn to zero, while Beyond the Edge allows me to add one monster in my grave to my hand; I choose One-Shot Booster." The phantasms of Turbo Warrior and Nitro Warrior appeared before Yusei, while Rally's favorite monster joined his hand.

"You are well prepared Yusei." The tower rumbled. "So am I; the card I'd set was Destruction's Rebirth, which activates its effect when destroyed, skipping the battle phase to special summon a monster from my grave with 200 additional attack points for every card that had been destroyed this turn, other than itself; Destruction's Rebirth, The World Tree, Spreading Malice Nursery, Defense Draw, Guardian soul, and Beyond the Edge, all of these will contribute to Black Rose Dragon's rebirth, stronger than ever before." Black Rose Dragon revived, its rose petal wings now pure dark red fire as its attack power increased to 3600. "Yusei, I've paid attention to the cards that you'd sent to your grave, and you have nothing left that can increase Stardust Dragon's attack power high enough to defeat Black Rose Dragon; you have one card left, and it will not save you, nor can it save the city." She paused. "It would seem that you were wrong, Yusei Fudou; you don't have what it takes to endure my power, you can't save yourself, or this city." Her eyes wandered over to Setsuko, then back to Yusei. "I end my turn." Stardust Dragon revived, so much smaller and weaker than Black Rose Dragon.

"Turn 13, Yusei Fudou: 100 life points, Aki Izayoi: 200 life points."

Yusei felt the pulse in his Dragon Birthmark, so strong that even Setsuko felt it. He saw that Aki experienced it as well. "We didn't come here to save ourselves." Jack, Rua, and Ruka all supported one another as they entered the room together. "We came here to help you Aki; you've shown both power and mercy in this duel, and that is how I know that you will be able to save yourself." Yusei reached for the last card of his deck, the card that would let him win and drew it. "I activate…" and then he stared at it; it wasn't Final Attack, it was a monster card, a card he hadn't put in his deck, a card that didn't even exist. He looked back to Jack and Ruka, saw the recognition and realization in their eyes. "I summon Salvation Dragon – Savior Dragon, and special summon One-Shot Booster, and so I tune Stardust Dragon and One-Shot Booster to Savior Dragon." The cracks along Aki's eyes grew, chipped away as one ring gathered nine stars. "The shine of clustering stars will illuminate a new miracle! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Arrive in light, Savior Star Dragon!"

Serene, calm, beautiful, that was what came to mind as Yusei beheld his monster. "Savior Star Dragon, attack!" Setsuko called out, and Yusei's monster answered, covering itself in a shimmering aura of its own breath before flying through Black Rose Dragon, destroying it for exactly 200 points of damage. Aki's mask of hatred broke, fell onto the floor and turned to dust.

She just…stood there, looking ahead at nothing in particular. "He'd told me…he'd said that when he was young, younger than I was, that his powers had hurt someone close to him, that he'd been banished from his home because of it…now I understand, how that made me trust him." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "I killed all those people…" She turned around, looked out at the city. "I was going to kill all of them." She took a step forward.

"Aki!" Yusei fell to the ground, Rua Ruka and Jack catching him as Setsuko ran up to her daughter. "I'm here." She stood in front of Aki, blocking her path.

"Yes, mother…now, you are here."

"…Yes, you're right; you needed me then, on that day when I learned what your father was going to do. Despite what Divine said, I should have stopped him then. I know that saying that now won't do any good, it won't undo my mistakes, it won't undo all the suffering you've endured."

"Then why say it now?" Aki dipped her head forward, her fist shook at her side. "What do you hope to accomplish now, mother?" Aki raised her head, glared at her mother. "Do you want to be killed, become the Black Rose Witch's last victim?"

"No." Setsuko shook her head. "I've hurt you enough already. I'm just going to stand here."

The two women faced one another. "What about the rest of you?" Aki said, still looking straight ahead at her mother.

"I'm staying here Aki." Ruka said. "I came here to help you, and that's what I'm going to do."

"Even after I'd hurt you at the Fortune Cup tournament?"

"You also helped her, helped me." Rua said. "When I ran away, when I ran into you, you talked some sense into me; I'm no good with words, but I still owe you for that, so we're staying here."

"And what about you, Jack Atlas? Aren't you furious that I stole your title from you?"

"You took something I never had any right to, and because of that I've been set on the right path. I'll stand here, to see what path you choose."

"…Yusei, you haven't said anything yet."

"Aki." Yusei said. "I've stood where you are right now." It was a moment he hadn't shared with anyone. "After Rally died, I'd returned to the docks, I looked out at the water." Aki's fist loosened. "I trust you, Aki." Yusei fell silent.

Aki breathed deeply, in and out, in and out, the only sound to be heard apart from the outside wind. Yusei remembered an old clock he had once, the loud ticks counting off the passage of time, time that now measured the moment when Aki would come to her decision, would pass judgment on all their fates. "…Mother." The silence was broken. "You said that you'd listened to Divine on that day?" Setsuko nodded. "Before anything else, he's going to listen to us." Aki turned around and left the room, everyone followed after her.

* * *

><p>Divine frowned. He did so, because for the time being he was alone, and thus there was no need to maintain the aura of omniscience that he'd so carefully cultivated for the sake of his followers and his enemies. He did so, because despite his best efforts, something happened that he did not plan for, something he could not see how to turn to his advantage; if Aki had won her duel against Yusei, it would have been the final step in unleashing all that rage that she'd gathered onto herself, while defeat was supposed to birth a fury unlike any the world had ever known to the same effect. Somehow, that was not what had happened; Yusei and the others managed to dissipate her anger, take on her suffering and allowed her to regain the memories that he'd so painstakingly sealed away from her. No, the only thing Divine could do now was fix the problem, and start all over again. He smiled.<p> 


	41. Chapter 41

**To Challenge the Divine…**

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><p>"This is…forgive the cliché everyone, but I see it and yet I don't believe it!" The scratchy voice of the reporter screamed through Martha's old TV, the screen filled with the reporter's distorted face. Martha was not the only one watching, as there were a dozen young people crammed into the room as well, each one squirming in an effort to get the best view possible.<p>

"Come on!" Louis, a rotund boy with greasy blond hair, said as he elbowed the equally heavyset Brittney out of the way. "Show us how Yusei kicked that stupid Black Rose Witch's ass!"

Brittney jabbed her elbow into Louis's side. "You get out of my way or I'll show you how I kick your ass!"

"Enough!" Martha said, voice firm and in control. "You two get to work on the garden, right now."

"Yes Martha." The two said at the same time in the same tone they'd both used back when they were small children; really, at age 14 they were still children, still finding themselves in the tiny little world known as Satellite with only the tiniest glimpses at the vast expanse known as Neo-Domino City, and now that glimpse included one of their own.

"Yes, yes, our eyes do not deceive us!" The reporter aimed the camera at the hole in the side of the Arcadia Movement Headquarters, where Aki Izayoi and Senator Ikeda stood at the edge. Aki had turned around and started walking away. "The Black Rose Witch has been defeated and has seemingly aligned herself with Yusei Fudou, Jack Atlas, and Ruka, the very duelists who'd faced her at the Fortune Cup tournament! Such an incredible turn of events, surely with this turnabout against Divine, Neo-Domino City will soon be free from the scourge of the Psychic Duelists!"

"And then you think you'll be able to sweep all your problems under the rug once again, don't you?" Martha muttered to herself, and the young people she'd helped raise were too engrossed with the TV to pay attention to her; it also helped that many of their peers and friends were scurrying through the house, each doing their part to repair the damage from the Rabid Weasel's attack and from even before that. They'd started streaming into her home within days and refused to leave until everything was, according to them, the way they'd remembered; it had made Martha smile, to think that even now her foster children all looked back on their time with her fondly.

"Martha?" She turned her head and saw one of the little ones, Anastasia; a coarse-haired girl with scarred hands, she looked up at Martha with her lips drawn tight in a frown. "Are you worried that Uncle Yusei won't be coming back?"

"Don't worry dear." Martha rubbed Anastasia's head and put on her smiling mask once again. "Yusei will come back, he always does."

* * *

><p>"Mikage!" Mikage Sagiri looked up and saw her parents rush into her hospital room; her father Ryuunosuke was a tall man with violet hair down to his waist while her mother Chouko had short, cropped indigo hair and a heavily lined face. "We're sorry we're so late!" Ryuunosuke just barely checked himself, kept from trying to pick her up and crush her in his arms the way he would when she was a child.<p>

"It's okay." Mikage spoke in a neutral tone.

"No it isn't." Chouko stamped her foot as she spoke. "It took us far too long to find out what had happened to you, and then to find out you were being treated here…" Her mother covered her mouth as she took in the sight of her daughter. "Is it…is it really as bad as…"

"I'm paralyzed from the waist down." Mikage did not think it odd how frank she was being with her parents; she hadn't meant to, but it had been years since the last time she'd spoken with them, and though they were as supportive as any child could hope their parents to be, the fact of the matter was…

"I suppose that this means you won't be able to continue your work as a bodyguard." Ryuunosuke bit his lip. "…I just never believed that you would go so far."

"It's okay, we're here now, and we won't let anything like that happen again." Chouko sat down next to Mikage, put her hand on hers.

"I know you mean well, I know you love me, but this isn't the end."

"What are you talking about?"

"You can still lead a fulfilling life, even without…"

"Look at him." Mikage pointed to the muted TV, catching a moment in which the camera caught Jack Atlas. "Despite the condition he's in, he's still fighting." She turned her head back to her parents. "He is still doing all he can for this city despite that he's lost, and I will do the same."

"But…" Ryuunosuke waved his hands about as though trying to grab hold of his words.

"…What if he doesn't come back?" Mikage heard both layers, the possibility that he might not survive, and…

"He will come back." Mikage returned her focus to the TV, the conversation was over.

* * *

><p>"Daddy, Daddy, did you hear the news?" Jaeger's son Kaoru said as he bounced in his seat through the monitor on Jaeger's desk. "They're saying that Satellite Scum duelist managed to defeat the Black Rose Witch!"<p>

"So it would seem." Jaeger was indeed watching the same reports that his son was, in addition to the myriad other reports he was getting from the surviving members of the strike team that had been sent to the Arcadia Movement. "You've been a good boy, haven't you?"

Kaoru nodded enthusiastically. "Yep, I've stayed right here and done everything to help Mom out, exactly like you said."

"That's very good, for it's a rotten boy and a rotten man who disappoints their mother after all." The twinge of thought this provoked must have shown on his face, for Kaoru frowned.

"Daddy, is something the matter?" His eyes widened. "Did something happen to our home? Did one of those horrible Psychic Duelists destroy it?"

"No no, nothing of the sort!" Jaeger cleared his throat, regained composure. "Please, Kaoru, if you could go get your mother on the line…"

"Right away Daddy!" Jaeger watched his boy jump out of his seat and run off. Jaeger turned around in his chair and took a deep breath, closed his eyes and cleared his thoughts.

"Dear, what's the matter?" Jaeger heard his wife Atsuko say, and so he turned his seat back around to face her. "Has something gone wrong?"

"Nothing has, not yet at any rate." Jaeger tapped his finger on his desk. "I caught a glimpse of them."

"Them? Oh, you mean those twins Godwin put in your care?"

"Yes, them." The news camera didn't focus on them, but Jaeger's eyes did, focused on how battered and bruised they were. "They look like they could be knocked over by a stiff breeze; if only there had been more time to prepare Ruka…"

"Ruka?" Atsuko smirked. "You've never used her name before."

"Eh?!" Oh, Jaeger knew what his wife was getting at. "Listen here, my concern with those two is a strictly professional one, Kaoru…" Jaeger paused, his look asking his wife to make sure that Kaoru wasn't anywhere he could overhear them. Atsuko nodded. "…Kaoru is our son, and I will not have him questioning my love for him, do you understand?"

"Yes dear." The caustic tone told him that he was not going to be getting his favorite ramen for a good long time. "Now if you don't mind, I need to help Kaoru with his math homework." She hung up on him, and Jaeger slumped back in his chair.

"Ruka, you and your brother better come out of all this in one piece."

* * *

><p>Aki Izayoi stood before the door to Divine's office, arms down at her sides. Her fists were clenched and her nostrils flared as she breathed in and out. Everyone stood at her back, doing their best to support one another; Yusei himself was leaning against Setsuko along with Jack, and the twins stood together. "I feel the same way, Aki." Rua said, breaking the silence. Aki turned her head to look Rua in the eye. "When I first went in there, I, I knew all about what he did to you, and I was so sure that he wouldn't be able to do it to me." Rua looked down, his lips drawn tight. He looked back up into Aki's eyes. "So, you take as much time as you need to get ready, Aki."<p>

Aki smiled, small and wan. "It seems you took my advice to heart." Yusei watched as Aki took a deep breath. "We're ready." She opened the doors, slammed them, marched on in to Divine's office. Yusei and the others followed, and Yusei's stomach lurched when he saw Divine, sitting behind his desk.

"Hello Yusei Fudou." Divine rose from his seat, a closed smile on his face. "I expect you understand why I've chosen to speak with you like this, yes?" Yusei felt the ache was gone from his body, he looked at Aki and saw her frozen, arm extended and pointed directly at Divine's seat. "Thanks to you, she would never allow us to speak uninterrupted." Yusei remembered from the Fortune Cup, how Divine had spoken with him telepathically, their entire conversation taking place in the span of a single breath.

"She trusted you." Yusei stepped forward, interposing himself between Divine and Aki.

"And I trusted you; I trusted that when I gave you the name Rudger Godwin that you would discover the truth of Zero Reverse and Rex's hand in it, and with that knowledge you would understand that the Director had to be stopped at all costs." Divine walked through his desk, leaving ripples in his wake. "I trusted that you would understand that under no circumstances could Ruka be allowed to remain under Godwin's watch, and so you would bring her, her brother, and even Jack with you as you joined me, and together we would be able to face Godwin with the power of the Five Dragons."

Yusei looked down at his Duel Disc, looked at the sensor that Godwin had attached to it, the one that was supposed to have reacted to the presence of the Fifth Dragon. He remembered that not once had it reacted as he and the others had made their way up the Arcadia Movement Headquarters. He remembered Hayate as he rode towards them. "You had Hayate hide the Fifth Dragon somewhere else."

Divine's smile grew. "I couldn't be sure that Godwin knew I had it, but since the fifth Signer had yet to be found, it was best to keep it out of his hands, lest he try and use it himself." Divine waved his hand in front of his face. "But that is not what brought you here to me, Yusei Fudou; you are here because I had erred, and allowed Senator Ikeda to survive." Divine looked over at Aki's mother, his smile constant. "She was an invaluable aid to me in the Senate, providing me whatever I needed without question and in a timely fashion. Were it not for you and your conduct at the Fortune Cup, she would still be loyal to me." Divine turned back to Yusei, a frown on his face. "Without you, Ruka would not have been able to stand against Aki and she would be a member of the Arcadia Movement, and Jack Atlas would have nowhere to turn after letting Godwin down, and without you, Aki would never have had doubt creep into her soul." Divine walked up to Yusei. "As much as I wish it weren't so, as much as I've strived to come up with some alternative, the only option I can see before me is to kill you, Yusei Fudou."

"Then end this illusion."

Divine clicked his tongue, wagged his finger. "Yusei, you are even more wounded and exhausted than you were at the Fortune Cup, and it was the first time that I'd contacted you." The walls, the floors, even the other people, they all melted away into a gray sludge, leaving a vacuum of space behind. "Now I'm familiar with the room of your soul, and so I can remain here for much longer, long enough to crush your spirit and leave your body nothing but an empty husk." Yusei raised his arm, activated his duel disc. "So the spirit is willing, even as the flesh is weak, as I'd fully expected." Divine picked up some grey sludge off the ground, and transformed it into a Duel Disc. "Indeed, dueling has long served as a reflection of the soul, so why not have those souls duel directly, without the impediment of flesh?" Divine drew his cards. "Since you have invaded my sanctum, I shall take the first turn, and activate my Field Spell Card."

The gray goo spread out, rose up to form walls and a ceiling, shimmering and metallic with monitors, dials, and other devices that Yusei couldn't even put names to. Then, right in between Yusei and Divine, a column of the ooze rose up, and transformed into a translucent green container with a brain floating inside with numerous wires hooked into it. "This place…" Yusei covered his eyes as a spotlight shined down on him.

"Welcome, Yusei, to the Brain Exploitation Research Lab." Divine said as he bowed. The light on Yusei moved to behind Divine, backlighting him. "I imagine you think this a suitable card for me to be using, yes?"

"It's not surprising." Yusei double-checked the cards in his hand. "After what you did to Aki ,and Rua, and everyone else here."

"I gave them power and the means to control that power, I took away their pain and showed them they had nothing to fear from those who'd scorned them and tossed them aside; that I did this to earn their loyalty and service is hardly a problem after all I'd given them." Divine lifted a card from his hand, the back still facing Yusei. "Let me show you the power I've obtained this way; I summon Krebons, and then I activate Brain Exploitation Research Lab's effect and place a Psychic Counter on it to perform an additional normal summon, and bring out Cabalist from my hand in defense position." Divine's first monster resembled a jester, though lacking an actual body beneath its outfit, and the other only appeared after one of the wires in the brain started glowing; Cabalist was an impish figure with a manic grin in a lab coat and a helmet with light-bulbs all over it. "The things you can do when you're willing to learn from your mistakes." Divine said with a chuckle. "Now, show me what you've learned from yours, Yusei Fudou."

"Turn 2, Yusei Fudou: 4000 life points, Divine: 4000 life points."

Yusei drew his card. "Divine, you wouldn't be doing all this if you weren't afraid, if we hadn't driven you into a corner; your forces are lost, and no one will listen to your lies again." Yusei added his card to his hand. "I summon Road Synchron, and then activate One for One, discarding Quillbolt Hedgehog from my hand to special summon Tuning Supporter from my deck, and since I control a tuner monster, I special summon Quillbolt Hedgehog back from the grave." Yusei's field was now filled with three monsters; one a golden construct with massive steamroller wheels, one a hedgehog with massive bolts for quils, and one a tiny robot with a frying-pan helmet. "Now, I activate Tuning Supporter's effect to treat itself as a level 2 monster, and tune Quillbolt Hedgehog along with it to Road Synchron." Four rings, four stars. "Gathering hopes will evoke a new horizon! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Dash onward, Road Warrior!"

Divine looked upon the 3000 attack power colossus before him, his arms crossed under his chest. "Bringing out a level 8 Synchro monster so quickly Yusei, when the total level of my own monsters is only 3; If I am afraid, then so are you."

"…Tuning Supporter's effect allows me to draw one card, and then I activate Road Warrior's effect to special summon Speed Warrior from my deck, and it will attack your Cabalist." Road Warrior took the section of road off its back, providing a path for Speed Warrior to take from the deck to the field, and it punched on through Divine's monster, its expression unaffected by the devastating blow it had just received.

"And now that Cabalist has been destroyed by battle and sent to the grave, I can activate its effect to add one Psychic Type monster from my deck to my hand, and normally this would cost me 800 life points; however…" Another wire hooked into the brain in the jar glowed, bubbles formed in the liquid suspended within. "Yes, by placing a Psychic Counter on Brain Exploitation Research Lab, I can forgo paying the life-point cost of any of my Psychic-type monsters' effects." Divine took a card near the bottom of his deck and added it to his hand. "The playing field always makes the difference Yusei, and I always make sure the battle takes place where I want it to."

"According to all the Security Officers I'd met growing up, I would never amount to anything but just another piece of Satellite Scum." Yusei gripped his fist. "Road Warrior, attack Krebons!"

"A useless gesture, Yusei Fudou." Road Warrior thrust its fist at Krebons, only for it to raise its arms and conjure an impenetrable screen of zeroes and ones. "When Krebons is attacked, I can pay 800 life points to negate your attack, but rather then that…" The third wire glowed, and a lump formed on the brain; several of the monitors showed activity, but if any of it had any meaning, Yusei couldn't say. "At no cost to myself I've obtained a most useful monster, and rendered myself immune to any and all attacks you could bring to bear against me."

"But that's only so long as you keep this up." Yusei gestured to the lab around them. "I play the right card, and you have to pay everything yourself."

"Oh, it's even worse than that Yusei; if Brain Exploitation Research Lab is removed from the field, I will take 1000 points of damage for every Psychic Counter that was on it. In other words, if I use this card even one more time, I could be defeated in a single blow, regardless of whatever monsters I might have on the field. Powerful and full of risks, just like Aki, don't you think?"

"I set three cards, and end my turn!" Yusei slammed the cards into his duel disc.

"Turn 3, Yusei Fudou: 4000 life points, Divine: 4000 life points."

"Oh Yusei, I thought I would get a rise out of you by saying that; you've projected so much onto Aki, you can't stand to hear the truth." Divine drew his card. "Now, since you saw fit to bring such a powerful monster against me, I will respond in kind; first, I sacrifice Krebons to summon Overdrive Teleporter." A humanoid figure took Krebons' place; its outfit was gaudy and the hair was purple, but it was a good match for Divine himself. "Now, in place of paying 2000 life points, I will instead put a Psychic Counter on the lab to activate Overdrive Teleporter's effect, and special summon two level 3 Psychic-type monsters from my deck." Another wire began to glow, and part of the brain shrank in on itself, prompting activity from the monitors all around them. Overdrive Teleporter crossed its arms, and twin columns of light appeared at its side, fading to reveal a pair of humanoid figures seated inside some manner of hovering-tank, the figures saluting with an open hand each. "Now, I will tune the level 6 Overdrive Teleporter to my first level 3 Psychic Commander." Three rings took hold of six stars. "Burning the fools as they cower in fear, breathe in the power of undying hate! Synchro Summon! Arrive, Hyper Psychic Blaster!" Girded by a heavy frame and power conduits connecting to a pair of heavy black and white guns, the silver figure stood equal to Road Warrior in attack power.

Yusei felt himself shake in the presence of Divine's monster, a vision of it putting the barrel of its black gun against his head overtook him. Sense, or the nearest thing there was to it, returned to Yusei. "What are you?"

"I am Divine, the man who will reshape Neo-Domino City in his image." Divine reached out and turned a nearby dial, restoring the brain in the tube to its original state. "Now, I activate the lab's effect, and summon Psychic Snail from my hand." The fifth wire discolored the brain, and a giant gold and purple snail appeared, flanking Hyper Psychic Blaster along with Psychic Commander. "Once per turn, I can activate Psychic Snail's effect, and give up its attack for the turn in exchange for giving another Psychic-type monster I control an additional attack." As the Psychic Snail's antenna charged with electricity, the sixth wire in the brain activated, and metallic patterns like circuitry grew on the brain. Psychic Snail's power entered Hyper Psychic Blaster's body, lending it a pulsing aura that could not last. "Now, I begin my battle phase, and Hyper Psychic Blaster will attack your Road Warrior."

"Trap card activate!" Divine wouldn't have given his monster a second attack if he was going to just let it be destroyed alongside Road Warrior, he had something in mind. "Scrap-Iron Scarecrow negates your attack, and sets itself back onto the field." Hyper Psychic Blaster raised the white gun and fired a column of light at Yusei's monster, and so the Scrap-Iron Scarecrow arose to intercept the attack; the blast was deflected and smashed somewhere near the ceiling, but the damage swiftly repaired itself, exposed circuitry knitting back together.

"Exactly the sort of maneuver I expected, but you could only do it once, and I still have another attack." Hyper Psychic Blaster raised the black gun, lined up the sight. "Furthermore, when a Psychic-type monster battles, I can activate Psychic Commander's effect to reduce your monster's attack and defense power by up to 500 until the end phase." The seventh wire engaged, causing the circuitry patterns on the brain to dissolve; at the same time, five pods detached from Psychic Commander's tank and hovered over Road Warrior, bathing it in dark energy that sapped its strength. Hyper Psychic Blaster pulled the trigger on the black gun, unleashing a series of pounding black bursts of energy into Road Warrior. Yusei gripped his chest as each blast struck his monster, felt his chest cave in. He looked down, and for a moment forgot where they were, overwhelmed by the holes in his chest, his torso.

Yusei remembered where he was, made himself forget the damage he'd just taken, and so what he saw as his body returned to normal. He watched Psychic Commander charge its canon, the pods surrounding Speed Warrior and reducing its attack power just the same as with Road Warrior, the eighth wire glowing and making the whole brain grow. "I activate my trap card, Defense Draw." Speed Warrior was still destroyed, but the attack did not reach Yusei, and so he kept his focus and drew his card.

"Well done Yusei, and now you should be in a prime position to destroy Brain Exploitation Research Lab, and with the eight Psychic Counters on it, that would make 8000 points of damage I would suffer, twice what I have right now." Divine surveyed the lab around them. "Such power needs to controlled carefully, safeguards implemented to make sure that it never turns against me." Yusei felt the tension in his brow increase. "Therefore, I will activate the Permanent Spell Card, Field Barrier." Security measures all over the lab activated, lending it an air not unlike that of the Detention Center. "So long as this card is in effect, my Field Spell Card can't be destroyed, nor can another Field Spell Card be activated. In other words, you will need two cards to destroy the Brain Exploitation Research Lab, and from what I've seen from the composition of your deck, that is possible but unlikely, and it will force you to forgo destroying any other spells or traps I might activate."

"You really think you know everything, don't you?"

"Oh, I'm not so conceited as that; if I knew everything, this battle would never have taken place, and even with an ideal resolution I will still need to spend considerable time restoring Aki's mind to its proper state." Yusei saw his reflection in a nearby monitor, saw the scowl on his face. "So go ahead Yusei, take your turn."

"Turn 4, Yusei Fudou: 3500 life points, Divine: 4000 life points."

Yusei drew his card, went over his hand; he remembered the chant Divine did when he'd summoned Hyper Psychic Blaster. "I summon Fortress Warrior in attack position, and end my turn."

"Turn 5, Yusei Fudou: 3500 life points, Divine: 4000 life points."

"Wisely chosen, Yusei; had you put Fortress Warrior in defense position, Hyper Psychic Blaster's effect would allow me to recover the difference between its attack power and your monster's defense power in life points. Fortunately, Fortress Warrior's effect prevents battle damage either way, and so Hyper Psychic Blaster's piercing effect becomes moot." Divine drew his card. "If your other face-down card is what I suspect it is, I predict that I will not do a single point of damage this turn." The pleasure that showed on Divine's face sent a chill up Yusei's spine. "Yes, this is so much like the sparring between me and Godwin; I summon Power Injector and activate my Lab's effect to summon Telekinetic Shocker." Power Injector appeared next to Psychic Commander, a heavily muscled figure with green skin, bolts in its skull, and sockets and plugs over its arms. Telekinetic Shocker in turn appeared next to Psychic Snail, a child's build and a head encased in a reflective helmet. "Power Injector's effect activates to grant all my monsters an additional 500 attack points for this turn, and Psychic Snail once more gives up its own attack to grant Hyper Psychic Blaster a second attack." As the myriad Psychic monsters on the field activated their effects, new wires attached themselves to the brain in the tube, each one performing yet another experiment, each one yielding yet more data that Yusei could not comprehend. "Now, Psychic Commander, attack Fortress Warrior."

"I activate my trap card, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow." Psychic Commander's canon fire was deflected, the Scrap-Iron Scarecrow knocked down and unable to defend again. Power Injector followed, and though it hammered away at Fortress Warrior, it couldn't even chip away at its defenses. Then Telekinetic Shocker unleashed a storm of electric bolts that broke Fortress Stone down into a pile of charred rubble. Hyper Psychic Blaster raised its guns, and once more Yusei felt the heat of those barrels pressing into him. "I activate my trap card, Graceful Revival, and bring back Fortress Warrior in attack position." The black blasts were diffused harmlessly, while the white beam consumed Yusei's monster utterly. Yusei and Divine stood still as they looked at one another. "It would seem you were right, Divine; you didn't do a single point of damage to me."

"Indeed I was, Yusei; with just three cards, one of which a level 2 monster, you managed to block five attacks and keep all your life points secure. You see what I meant then, when I said this was like the sparring between me and Godwin? You have a natural talent for making the most out of the least, just like Godwin when he emerged from the ruins of the Old Momentum, and saw the world that he and his brother created."

"It won't work." Yusei kept his arms at his side. "Regardless of any similarities in our abilities, I would never do the things that Godwin did."

"Yes, you're right, attacking your spirit in that manner won't work, but I've confirmed that now, and will be better armed to strike where you are most vulnerable. So, I will end my turn, and see what you've managed to buy yourself this turn."

"Turn 6, Yusei Fudou: 3500 life points, Divine: 4000 life points."

Yusei drew his card, braced himself; if he couldn't bring himself to the offensive again, it would all be over. He looked, a small smile formed on his face. "I summon Max Warrior." A warrior in priestly garb like a Buddhist monk, it stood before Divine's army with 1800 attack points. "And now I sacrifice Max Warrior to special summon Turret Warrior, giving it a total attack power of 3000." Yusei's monster turned its guns right at Power Injector. "And now I equip Turret Warrior with Fighting Spirit, increasing its attack power by 300 for every monster you control." Turret Warrior slammed its feet into the ground, rooting itself before firing; Psychic Commander sent out its pods to diminish Turret Warrior's power, but its Fighting Spirit saw it through, and as the smoke cleared, Power Injector…

"Telekinetic Shocker's effect activates, destroying itself in place of Hyper Psychic Blaster." As each shell exploded on impact, Telekinetic Shocker grabbed those explosions with electric arms arcing out from its head, and pulled them into itself, suffering total annihilation. "Just as with my Field Spell Card, I made provisions to protect my monsters; at every step, I strive to anticipate all possible outcomes. I am not perfect at this, but it has seen me this far, and it will see me through this duel." Even so, Divine had still taken 2700 points of damage.

"So I take it that precognition isn't one of the powers that you possess?"

Divine nodded. "I've heard rumors and stories about people who've possessed that talent, or mystical objects that could grant such power to those they chose, but if such things ever existed, they are not to be found in Neo-Domino City, and are therefore beyond my reach; I'm sure you've heard this Yusei, but the world outside this city is not a pleasant one, not after Zero Reverse."

"Godwin told me the same thing." Yusei frowned. "I suppose that means you're both telling the truth."

"Or perhaps we both think the same story would work on you?" Divine shrugged. "Then again, if it's just a story, the means disprove it are incredibly simple; leave Neo-Domino City, and see for yourself with your own eyes and hear with your own ears the reality of the situation. Perhaps when all this is over, when there is nothing left to attach you here, you will find it in you to explore."

"Not until after you and Godwin are dealt with; the Satellite has suffered long enough."

"And I agree; my vision for the future of this city has no need for a lower-class of people, dedicated to doing all the work that no one else wants to do. No oppression, no hierarchies…"

"No people who are of no use to you." Divine shrugged again, smiled. "I end my turn."

"Turn 7, Yusei Fudou: 3500 life points, Divine: 1300 life points."

"Hmm…" Divine drew his card, looked at it. "I play Level Gift, and reduce Power Injector's level by two to recover 600 life points," Power Injector lost the glow in its eyes as it flew out and entered Divine's body. "In this way, I can now tune my level 2 Power Injector to my level 3 Psychic Commander." Three rings, two stars. "My flames of hatred, inflamed within the abyss of my heart, become the raging black waves that will overrun this world. Synchro Summon! Appear now, Magical Android!" A woman with long, pale red hair, a curved staff in one hand and a device that resembled a cross between a harp and shield in the other, she got down on her knees and crossed her arms, indicating defense position. "Now, I switch Hyper Psychic Blaster and Psychic Snail to defense position, set one card, and during my end phase, Magical Android's effect will activate, giving me 600 life points for every Psychic type monster I control, and since I control 3, that will make for 1800 more life points for me this turn." Magical Android raised her staff, and a gentle light shined from Divine's monsters, showering him in power.

"Turn 8, Yusei Fudou: 3500 life points, Divine: 3700 life points."

"It was a well-chosen attack, Yusei." Divine said as Yusei drew his next card. "You did a great deal of damage, enough to prevent me from sacrificing my monsters in battle in order to weaken your Turret Warrior. Now though? Now I've recovered, and will continue to recover, securing my strength."

Divine was baiting him, he wanted him to attack and trigger his face-down card, and yet he was telling the truth; so long as Magical Android remained on the field, Divine would continue to recover life points, and the problem would only get worse if Yusei let him summon more monsters onto the field. If he waited to draw a card that could destroy the face-down card, Divine could accumulate enough life points that it would be nigh-impossible to defeat him. "I summon The Calculator in attack position." With the level 5 Turret Warrior on his side of the field, that gave The Calculator a total attack power of 2100 in accordance with its own effect. "The Calculator will attack Magical Android." Yusei's monster shot lightning bolts from its finger tips, reducing Magical Android to ash. Nothing happened; had it just been a bluff? Or was he simply waiting for him to attack with Turret Warrior?

"Caution is important Yusei." Divine said. "But remember, The Calculator is vulnerable now, and who knows when I'll draw a card to get rid of Fighting Spirit, or Turret Warrior all together? Your Scrap-Iron Scarecrow can only defend against one attack, and with Psychic Snail supporting Hyper Psychic Blaster…"

"Turret Warrior, attack Hyper Psychic Blaster!" Yusei yelled and thrust his fist to point out the target of his attack; explosions rocked Hyper Psychic Blaster's body, and nothing was left behind.

"You did as you had to Yusei, you followed the path I provided you with, and now you will see where I led you." Divine snapped his fingers. "I activate my Trap Card, Telepathic Power; when a Psychic-type monster I control is attacked and destroyed in battle, I can destroy the monster that attacked it, and gain life points equal to that monster's attack power." A dull hum filled the air, then turned into a pitch so high it was sharp as razor-wire, shattering Turret Warrior and drawing out its power into Divine's body, giving him 3300 life points. "At least you still got to destroy my monster Yusei, so it wasn't a complete loss."

"You enjoyed stringing me along."

"You enjoyed designing and building your D-Wheels; an ancient philosopher called Aristotle believed that being good at one's craft was the measure of virtue, and by his thinking we are both very virtuous indeed."

Yusei looked at his monster; now that it was alone with only its own levels to count, The Calculator was reduced to 600 attack points. He still had Scrap-Iron Scarecrow, but if Divine summoned another monster… "I end my turn."

"Turn 9, Yusei Fudou: 3500 life points, Divine: 7000 life points."

Divine drew his card. "Unfortunately Yusei, it would seem that I've drawn the absolute worst card for you in this situation; I summon Destructotron to the field." A four-legged robot whose head-section had a monitor displaying a furious face appeared with 1600 attack power. "Now, I activate Destructotron's effect, and destroy your face-down Scrap-Iron Scarecrow." A green beam shot out from its chest cavity, destroying Yusei's trap card. "Now, I'll go ahead and have Destructotron attack The Calculator, opening a path for a direct attack by Psychic Snail." Destructotron brought its hands together and telekinetically crushed The Calculator for 1000 points of damage; Yusei felt as though a giant hand was squeezing his whole body, crushing his bones. No sooner did the sensation end then did Psychic Snail fire bolts of electricity into him, causing his nerves to fail, his limbs to jerk about. He fell down onto his hands and knees, his breath rapid and rasping. "Come on Yusei, do it like before; remember, that isn't really your body, it's just your mental image of it, and what pain you are feeling is only what I'm projecting onto your consciousness."

Yusei closed his eyes, silenced his thoughts; there was a flash, he couldn't catch it, but what mattered was that the pain was gone again. Yusei stood back up. "I thought you were trying to kill me; why bother telling me something like that?"

"If I were to tell you something like that, then my plan wouldn't work, now would it?" Divine chuckled. "Now then, I'll end my turn and let you take yours."

"Turn 10, Yusei Fudou: 600 life points, Divine: 7000 life points."

Yusei drew his card, considered the options offered by it. "I activate Tuning, and add Junk Synchron to my hand and sending the top card of my deck to the grave." Yusei saw Shield Warrior enter his grave. "Now I summon Junk Synchron and activate its effect to special summon Speed Warrior from my grave." Yusei's monsters gathered on the field. "I tune my level 2 Speed Warrior to my level 3 Junk Synchron." Three rings, two stars. "The stars come together to call forth a new power! Become the path that lights the way! Synchro Summon! Come, Junk Warrior!" Yusei's monster took to the field. He studied Divine's monsters. "Junk Warrior, attack Psychic Snail!" Yusei's monster did as told, punching through Divine's monster for 400 damage.

"Well done Yusei, since now that Destructotron is alone on the field, it will automatically destroy itself during my end phase, so if I can't draw a monster, I will lose my last line of defense."

"Then I end my turn." Yusei's eyes were focused on Destructotron, on the monitor that displayed the growling, snarling face that looked back at him.

"Turn 11, Yusei Fudou: 600 life points, Divine: 6600 life points."

Divine drew his card with an unperturbed expression. "I now sacrifice Destructotron and summon Psychic Emperor." A shriveled old man with a long, shaggy white beard, orange Buddhist robes, and a helmet with wires connected to various devices in the Brain Exploitation Research Lab. "When summoned to the field, Psychic Emperor grants me 500 life points for every Psychic-type monster in my grave." The phantasms of all of Divine's monsters appeared; Cabalist, Krebons, Overdrive Teleporter, both Psychic Commanders, Hyper Psychic Blaster, Psychic Snail, Power Injector, Telekinetic Shocker, Magical Android, and Destructotron; 11 in total, Divine was infused with 5500 life points. It was enough to make the back of Yusei's neck sweat at the prospect of having to burn through that many life points. "Now, Psychic Emperor will attack your lone Junk Warrior."

"I remove Shield Warrior in the grave from play, and prevent Junk Warrior from being destroyed by battle." Psychic Emperor focused, and created a wave of psychic pressure that tore off a chunk of Junk Warrior's body; it lodged itself into Yusei's heart, and he had to reach in and pull it out to convince his mind that it wasn't real, none of it was real, it was only 100 points of damage, nothing more.

"Tenacious. I end my turn."

"Turn 12, Yusei Fudou: 500 life points, Divine: 12100 life points."

Yusei drew his card, reminded himself that the only life point that mattered was the last one, and focused on the monster before him. "I summon Turbo Synchron, and tune Junk Warrior to it." One ring, five stars. "Gathering bonds weave a greater force! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Turbo Warrior!" Yusei knew this monster would serve him well, as it could not be targeted by the effects of level 6 or lower monsters. "Attack Psychic Emperor!" Yusei watched as the serene old man was torn apart, the 100 points of damage hardly registering on Divine at all, and why would it? He had time, he would have time to draw cards and mount his counteroffensive. "I end my turn."

"Turn 13, Yusei Fudou: 500 life points, Divine: 12000 life points."

Divine drew his card. "I end my turn."

"Turn 14, Yusei Fudou: 500 life points, Divine: 12000 life points."

Yusei drew his card, Dust Tornado; if he were to draw Wild Tornado or Double Cyclone, he could destroy Brain Exploitation Research Lab, and end the duel in one fell swoop. "I set one card, and attack directly." Turbo Warrior dug its metallic claws into Divine's chest, he gave no response. "I end my turn."

"Turn 15, Yusei Fudou: 500 life points, Divine: 9500 life points."

Divine drew his card, had a small smile on his face. "I end my turn."

"Turn 16, Yusei Fudou: 500 life points, Divine: 9500 life points."

Yusei drew his card, Junk Barrage; when equipped to a monster, it would inflict damage equal to half the attack-power of any monster it destroyed in battle. But Divine had no monsters, had he failed to draw any…or was he refusing to summon any? With all the life points he had, he could afford to, couldn't he? Serve as a living shield to his own monsters, holding them in reserve until he could strike. No, he couldn't think like that, he had to focus on the here and now. "Turbo Warrior, attack directly!" Turbo Warrior swiped at Divine's arms, leaving behind not even a scratch. "I end my turn."

"Turn 17, Yusei Fudou: 500 life points, Divine: 7000 life points."

Divine drew his card, his smile grew. "I…" Divine paused, watched the sweat on Yusei's brow. "…I will set one card, and end my turn." Yusei contemplated activating Dust Tornado, but decided against it; he could still hold out for another card to destroy Brain Exploitation Research Lab, there were more than enough Psychic Counters on it now to finish Divine off, he was sure of it.

"Turn 18, Yusei Fudou: 500 life points, Divine: 7000 life points."

Yusei drew his card, Ghost Gardna; worse came to worse, he could summon it after attacking to ensure that he would be safe for another turn…the way that Divine would be either way, whether or not his face-down card could even do anything. "Turbo Warrior, attack directly!" There was a horse quality to Yusei's voice, and his monster's attack was sluggish, getting just close enough to target Divine's legs. "Divine…who are you? What drives you? Why are you doing all this?" That was the third direct attack that Divine had taken, and he looked no more disturbed than if a piece of trash had been blown onto his leg.

Divine grinned. "Yusei Fudou, you grew up in the Satellite, a desolate wasteland where even well-meaning individuals had to horde what they had, lest their charity get them killed. You had many days where you went without a decent meal, many a night that was too cold or too hot to sleep, and when you tried to change things, make them better, it ended with your leader losing his mind, killing both a child and a cop. Not even two years after that, your remaining friend betrays you, endangers the life of a child that the two of you had saved together and you failed to rescue him, condemning him to a terrible death. Not long ago you tried to confront Jack with the truth of what had happened, only for him to crush you and leave you at the mercy of the Security forces, or lack thereof, and it was only by the faintest chance that you did not end up trapped in that hellhole for the remainder of your natural life." Yusei felt the sweat dripping down the back of his neck. "So tell me Yusei, what drives you? Why are you doing all this? Why aren't you standing where I am, trying to destroy this city and the unworthy people within it?"

Yusei had an ugly suspicion that he'd been guided, corralled into saying what Divine wanted him to, yet he couldn't avoid it, because it was the truth. "…I don't let my past control me."

Divine gave Yusei a slow clap of applause. "And neither do I; I do what I do, because I am strong enough, and that is all that matters. You wanted me to make an excuse, draw upon some childhood trauma in which I saw someone being abused by someone in authority and had to defend them at all costs, a childhood friend that I'd sacrificed everything for, that I'd hurt someone important to me through my powers without meaning to, that I'd lost someone close to me because of how my powers had ostracized me, that my powers had forced me out of my own home, but you, Yusei…" Divine shook his head. "You are living proof that the past doesn't matter, it's all a matter of how one chooses to act and react, and you know what that also means, don't you?"

Yusei glared at Divine, his hand shook, his heart pounded in his head and his vision turned red and blurry. "You're wrong."

Divine laughed. "Come on Yusei, surely you can do better than that? You'd spent so much time trying to reach Aki, to convince her that she could take control of her own life apart from me; don't tell me you haven't considered even counterargument to how weak she is?" Yusei ground his teeth. "The same applies to everyone else in the Arcadia Movement; they allowed themselves to be controlled by me, because they were too weak to make their own choices, and so I recognized their desires accordingly. You despise me for this, yet by your own admission the responsibility lies with them and no one else." Yusei felt his focus caving in on itself, Divine's voice was the only constant. "Acknowledge it, Yusei Fudou; there is no sense in what you are doing, your opposition to me and my cause is inherently nonsensical. All you have against me is a vague notion of indignant outrage, hardly a substantive cause to put your life on the line for." Divine walked up to Yusei…at least, Yusei thought he was walking, he got closer in any event. He got down on his knee to look Yusei in the eye…when had he gotten down off his feet? "It's not too late Yusei; I think that now you can understand me and yourself, and together we can change the world, create a new Utopia where all truly stand as equals, where all are strong and capable of guiding their own lives, free of their pasts."

Yusei shook his head…but what did that even mean? At the moment he was just his soul, stripped bare before an enemy who stood fearless before him, who had taken three direct attacks from Turbo Warrior and stood firm in his convictions. Strength like that, it was natural that people would flock to his banner. "This…" Yusei tried to reach out, but he had no hands.

"Yusei, don't you want power?" Divine put his hand on Yusei's shoulder. "Don't you want to leave everything behind, where it can't hold you back any longer?"

"Hold me back…" Yusei's breath was slow, there was a buzz in his ears and a fog filled his sight. Something had held him back, all his life, opportunities were denied to him; what reason was there to deny what he wanted? He was smart, talented, he could inspire and guide people as he wished; he could make people understand what it was they had to do, and they would do it, and they would be better off for it. He wouldn't need Godwin's help to change things, he wouldn't need to play a game of countervailing blackmail to get anything done, he could take the Satellite and make it a proper place to live, and show the people of Neo-Domino City that there were consequences. A sweet taste entered Yusei's mouth, a tingle danced up and down his spine as the thoughts took on greater clarity.

Yusei turned his head; there was a sound, so quiet, had he imagined it? There was a light, red, where was it coming from? His arm, that was right, the Dragon Birthmark that had appeared on that day…that day? "Yu…" Yes, that day, it was so important, he had something important he had to do, even if he didn't know what that was at the time. "Yus…" Because of that day, because of what he had chosen to do he'd suffered greatly. "Yusei…" And yet, he'd found something that he'd thought had been lost to him forever. "Yusei!" He looked again, he saw Jack, he saw Ruka and Rua, he saw Aki.

"That's right." Yusei turned back to face Divine, felt the crimson light at his back, warm, soothing, clear. "You'd isolated me here, and bit by bit you made me forget myself, made me focus more and more only on what you would let me see." The light increased in intensity, forcing Divine to step back, away from him. "The past doesn't control us, but it's still a part of us, and what's more, the choices we make are not just our own." Yusei raised his arm and pulled down his sleeve, baring his Dragon Birthmark to the open. "You are a predator Divine; you exploit people to serve your own twisted purposes, and convince them that it's their own fault that they're in that position you put them in; to blame them, to claim that they chose to be used by you is depraved." Yusei swept his arm out, crimson light trailing behind it. "We can make our own choices, and draw upon each other's resolve at the same time, being both ourselves and part of a larger whole." Yusei felt it, the swelling of energy; in the air before him an incomplete circle appeared, the Dragon Birthmarks joining together with one piece missing. "Whoever you are Divine, wherever you came from, whatever your name once was, none of it can excuse what you've done, and will continue to do if we don't stop you here and now." The circle vanished, the crimson light dimmed.

"So that is your power as a Signer is it?" Divine said, a scowl forming on his face. "We were so close Yusei, I almost had you; your loyalty, your devotion, your service to my cause. It would seem that it is as I said at the start; I have no choice but to kill you." Divine inhaled sharply through his nostrils.

"And I have no choice but to stop you; I summon Ghost Gardna in defense position, and end my turn."

"Turn 19, Yusei Fudou: 500 life points, Divine: 4500 life points."

"Trying to shore up your defenses Yusei?" Divine drew his card,. "Let's find out if they'll be enough; I summon Grapple Blocker, and since I control a Psychic-type monster, I activate Psychokinesis to destroy one card you control while taking 1000 points of damage, and that card will be Turbo Warrior." Giant fist shaped dents appeared all over Turbo Warrior, crumpling it up on itself until it exploded, spraying Divine with shrapnel; this, at long last, seemed to affect him. "Then, I activate my trap card, Psychic Tuning, allowing me to special summon a Psychic-type monster from my grave as a tuner monster, but as it so happens, Krebons already is one." The giggling jester returned to the field.

"I activate my trap card, Dust Tornado, and destroy Psychic Tuning." The wind shredded Divine's monster apart, and in accordance with Psychic Tuning's effect, Divine took 400 points of damage for every level of the monster he'd just summoned, or 800 points total."

"So you've given up on destroying Brain Exploitation Research Lab? That's going to cost you Yusei, as I will now activate its effect to perform an additional normal summon this turn, and since I control a Psychic-type monster, I don't need to sacrifice anything to summon Armored Axon Kicker!" A humanoid figure that had countless tubes connected to it, pumping the same translucent green liquid as the tube that the experimental brain was in, a cybernetic creation with 2200 attack points. "Armored Axon Kicker, attack Ghost Gardna!" Divine's monster thrust its leg out, launching an invisible attack that destroyed Yusei's monster; its effect activated in turn, reducing Grapple Blocker's attack power by 1000, leaving Divine's remaining monster with only 200 attack points until the end of the turn. "Grapple Blocker!" The tentacles swatted at Yusei, but he felt nothing of the damage they'd dealt. "And now, instead of paying 500 life points to keep Grapple Blocker on the field in the end phase, I instead add my 15th counter to Brain Exploitation Research Lab; that's 15000 points of damage you decided to forgo, Yusei Fudou."

"Turn 20, Yusei Fudou: 300 life points, Divine: 2700 life points."

"I don't need your help to defeat you." Yusei smirked. "We've managed to push you off balance Divine; you could have summoned Psychic Emperor and used its effect again to recover 5500 life points, which would still put you ahead after I destroyed Psychic Tuning." Divine's scowl grew deeper. "You don't know what to do anymore, we're beyond any scenario you imagined, and each decision you make is more crucial than the last."

"How confident, Yusei Fudou." Divine took a deep breath, steadied himself. "In revealing my mistake, you've ensured that I won't repeat it; you must be certain that your next card will prove devastating to me."

"It will, because it's not just my card."

"What?"

"This space is part of my soul, and my soul is connected to those that want to see you defeated for all that you've done." Yusei drew his card, he didn't have to look at it, he saw Jack nodding in approval. "I activate Rise to the Challenge; since I do not control any cards and have fewer life points, I can now draw one card for every monster you control, and since that's two, that makes two cards I can draw." To his right Ruka and Rua appeared, cheery grins on their faces. Aki was on his left, emotionless face focused on Divine. Divine himself looked from one specter to the next, eyes boiling over in fury. "I now summon Bud of Vengeance, and equip it with Junk Barrage, and attack Grapple Blocker for 1000 points of damage." Aki's monster bounded into Divine's, and upon destroying it shot out a vine to puncture his chest before returning to Yusei's side of the field. "Finally, I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 21, Yusei Fudou: 300 life points, Divine: 1700 life points."

"Yusei…I will concede that you'd surprised me by summoning one of Aki's monsters, but I know her deck, I know what her cards can do, and I am prepared accordingly." Divine drew his card. "I activate Psychic Sacrifice; since I control a Psychic Type monster, I can pay 1000 life points and draw two cards." Divine's skin became pale as he took his new cards. "I will start by summoning Psychic Jumper." A ragged, shriveled figure with blue-white skin stood before Yusei, a spiked helmet that by all appearances seemed to have spikes pressing down into the wearer's skull. "I activate Psychic Jumper's effect, and avoid the cost to switch control between my Armored Axon Kicker and your Bud of Vengeance." Psychic Jumper gripped its head, and columns of light rose up from beneath Divine's and Yusei's monsters, and when they faded, they'd been swapped. "Now, I will go ahead and sacrifice Bud of Vengeance to summon the level 6 Experimental Esper, activating its effect to sacrifice Psychic Jumper in order to negate Bud of Vengance's effect." A gangly teen with hair reaching the ground appeared, its eyes glinted as it looked over at Psychic Jumper; it lifted the monster up with its mind and forced it into Bud of Vengeance's path, destroying both cards. "Now, I forgo paying 1000 life points for Experimental Esper's second effect, and special summon Krebons back from the grave, and tune Experimental Esper to it." Two rings, six stars. "Surge, my black mist of vengeance! Synchro Summon! Come, Mental Sphere Demon!" Gold, silver, and black, a wingspan of at least twenty or thirty feet, a tail that could smash concrete, and a leering open-mouthed face, Mental Sphere Demon appeared over Divine, hovering like a projection of his very soul. "2700 attack points, vs. the 2200 of the Armored Axon Kicker I gave you, means that this attack will defeat you; furthermore, Mental Sphere Demon can negate and destroy any spell or trap that targets one Psychic-type monster on the field, so I have nothing to fear from your face-down card." Mental Sphere Demon flew up to Yusei's monster, a black mist seeped out of its mouth, it encroached upon Yuei's monster.

"I activate my trap card, Heart Shield." A burst of energy separated Mental Sphere Demon and Armored Axon Kicker. "When there is a field-spell card in play, when my opponent declares an attack, I can special summon a level 4 or lower monster whose attack is greater than its defense from my grave in defense position, and change the target of the attack to that monster." The Bud of Vengeance sprouted anew, and Mental Sphere Demon let out its black breath, destroying its target as it had to; in turn, Bud of Vengeance's effect activated, breaking down Mental Sphere Demon into a pile of cybernetic bones on the ground.

"Clever Yusei, but not by enough; when Mental Sphere Demon destroys a monster by battle, I gain life points equal to that monster's attack power, and that gives me just enough to guarantee that you can't defeat me with just Armored Axon Kicker." Energy flowed towards Divine, but in the moment it was to reach him…

"When the monster summoned by Heart Shield is destroyed and sent to the grave, my opponent takes damage equal to that monster's defense power." Bud of Vengeance appeared before Divine, taking on Aki's form; with a sweep of her arm she blocked the flow of life energy "You tried to outmaneuver me, and so you ended up trapping yourself." Bud of Vengeance wrapped a vine around Divine's throat. Yusei turned away from Divine, walked away into the darkness.

"Well done, Yusei." Divine rasped. "Godwin will have much to fear from you." There was a thud, and the Brain Exploitation Research Lab dissolved away until nothing but the brain remained, still suspended in the air. It disappeared, and Yusei found himself in the real world again.

"What happened?!" Setsuko pointed at Divine's body slumped over his desk.

"He tried to confront Yusei directly." Aki said, still looking straight ahead. "He thought that if he defeated Yusei in there, it would make it easier for him to regain control over me."

"But, but you guys worked together to stop him, right?" Rua said, looking at Yusei as he and Ruka continued to hold onto one another. "I, it was only a moment, but I could see you fighting Divine, and Jack and Ruka and Aki, they were all there too."

"Yes." Yusei noticed that Setsuko had walked up to Divine's body, checked for a pulse.

"He's still alive." Setsuko said in a small voice. She looked down at the unmoving body in disbelief, then lifted it up to carry over her shoulder.

"If he ever wakes up again, it will be in one of Godwin's cells." Yusei remembered his pain, the exhaustion of his body, and fell against Jack again.

"Let's get out of here." Jack said, shifting Yusei's weight so they could better support one another.

"Let's go home." Ruka said, smiling.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: <strong>Yes, I am aware that I fudged the effects on Psychic Snail and Destructotron in this chapter, but the fact of the matter is that by the time I realized my mistake, I was more than halfway through the duel, so re-scripting the duel would have required that I rewrite a pretty significant chunk of the chapter. I try my best to avoid this sort of thing, and hopefully I won't screw up again for the rest of the story.


	42. Chapter 42

**Celebrate Good Times**

* * *

><p>Aki had disabled the security locks on the elevators, so she and the others were able to descend the Arcadia Movement Headquarters and recover from their exhaustion. Aki herself dwelled on her thoughts, on the memories that she'd so recently recovered; memories of her life before her powers had awoken, memories of her life afterwards, memories of the time before she'd met Divine, memories of the time after. She sifted through those memories, tried to make sense of them all; Divine had lied to her, his claim that the entire city was in on what her father had done to her was a farce, that much she'd grasped right away, but what was the extent of his machinations? Had he corrupted her father, turned him into that monster, or had Hideyo changed on his own? Maybe he'd always been that way, and she'd simply been too naïve, too ignorant and trusting to tell. Then there was her mother; when Divine had accused her of being in on her father's conspiracy, she'd frozen, locked up; had she done so out of fear, or had Divine used his power so that she would act out her part in his depraved play?<p>

What did it matter though? The truth was that Divine had tricked her, and through her had killed many people; some were like Takasu, the former warden of the Detention Center, but most were just convenient targets suited for creating an atmosphere of fear, terror, hate, and anger, the very atmosphere that Divine wanted her to feed on for his final plan to destroy the city and create his new, personal Utopia. Despite the deception, she had chosen to follow Divine's orders, and so she refused to cast herself as the victim; Godwin would arrest her, she would turn herself in, and she would submit to whatever sentence he came up with for her. Her mother would likely find a way to reduce the sentence, would be certain to visit her regularly…indeed, she could see all of them coming to visit her; Ruka and Rua, they would probably come just as often as her mother, maybe even more often. Jack would likely demand the chance to duel her again, to wipe clean the stain on his record; it would never happen, it would never be allowed, but he would come all the same. Yusei…now that was a difficult question to answer; certainly he would escort the twins when they came, but the odds of him doing much more than stand watch were minimal.

The elevator doors opened, and she saw Security officers taking the members of the Arcadia Movement outside; many were unconscious, forcing the officers to carry them and they made no effort to be gentle, while some were still on their feet, having surrendered after realizing that Divine had been lost to them. "Aki!" Two members called out, a pair of young women, not much younger than herself; the security officer who'd been taking them away turned her head in shock, and even after she realized that Aki wasn't going to attack, she still kept her distance. "Please, tell us this is part of Divine's plan, that this is all a trick, right?" Their eyes were puffy, their cheeks wet. "You were closest to Divine…" They then gaped, covered their mouths in shock when they noticed Divine's body slumped over her mother's shoulder. "That's just a dummy, right? A mannequin meant to deceive everyone who's abused us, right?"

It never occurred to them that in asking their questions in front of everyone, that they would have been spoiling everything. They wanted to believe, they wanted her to tell them comforting lies even if they made no sense at all. She turned her eyes away, and saw Ruka and Rua looking up at her, realized they were all looking at her, to her. She looked again at her questioners, found that she did not recognize them at all; they must have been recruited recently, in the wake of her victory at the Fortune Cup Tournament. "There is no trick, not anymore." Aki walked away from them, made her way to the front-door, to the outside.

"Welcome!" Aki brought her arm over her eyes as the spotlight fell on her, fell on all of them as they stepped out with her. "Behold everyone, the heroes of Neo-Domino City, the Signers!" Aki's eyes adjusted to the light, and so she saw a very short man with heavy make-up on; the Vice-Director of Security, Jaeger, that was his name, at least according to the files that Divine had shared with her. "In our Utopia's darkest hour, these brave young people came together and united their powers; everyone, bow down and receive your city's applause!" Aki stood where she was, unbent. She could see from the reactions of the camera crews and the security officers that she wasn't the only one.

"Now, now, Jaeger, they've been through quite a bit, you need to give them a chance to breathe." From behind the cameras Director Godwin emerged, arms behind his back and head held high. Then his eyes found Divine. He quickened his pace, brought his left hand out to check Divine's pulse. He smiled, far more than Aki thought was warranted; then she remembered another secret that Divine had shared with her, that he'd set up a dead man's switch that would go off if his heart ever stopped beating, so that in the event of his death Godwin's secrets would be revealed to everyone in Neo-Domino City. Divine never told her what that secret was. "People of Neo-Domino City!" Godwin turned around to face the cameras. "Divine, the former leader of the Arcadia Movement, has been subdued, and when he recovers, he will be put to trial like any other criminal, no more and no less." He paused for effect. "Though many lives have been lost this day, those lives have been given so that we may all sleep peacefully this night, and all nights to come. Thus, to honor the memories of the fallen, I have arranged a celebration for Yusei Fudou, Jack Atlas, Ruka, and Aki Izayoi."

Aki felt her eyes widen. "Director Godwin…"

"Don't worry Aki, you will have time to rest and recover; you have worked very hard as my double agent after all, carefully allowing Divine to think that you were his loyal puppet while simultaneously rooting out corruption within Neo-Domino City; yes, even though you were scorned and derided by the people, you fulfilled your duty exactly as you said you would." Aki struggled to find her voice and failed; Godwin defied all sense with what he'd said, how could she possibly respond? By declaring that no, she was the Black Rose Witch, that she'd murdered innocent people according to Divine's plans? "Come, Aki, everyone, my driver is waiting for us."

Aki nodded, let herself be guided to Godwin's limo; before they entered a pair of Security officers took Divine's body into a separate vehicle and drove off with it. Aki entered the limo, noted that there was room enough for everyone; he'd planned on her turning against Divine, on Yusei and the others being able to reach her. She took her seat, watched as the others filed in, Jaeger and Godwin bringing up the rear. Godwin closed the door, instructed the driver, and they were moving. "What game are you playing at?" Aki let her caustic tone out in full force.

"The game in which Neo-Domino City becomes the Utopia it was always meant to be, one which you play a vital part in; so, I recast you from the Hated Witch into the Dark Heroine." Godwin…the tone he used, the way he looked at her and everyone else, even Jaeger, it was the same as with Divine. "Now then, I would like to hear exactly how you all managed to defeat Divine and incapacitate him so completely."

Aki was silent, Yusei was the only one who could really say what had happened in his duel with Divine; she knew what Divine had done, she'd caught a glimpse of the duel, she'd even felt the moment in which her monster destroyed Divine's Mental Sphere Demon and tore through his life points in one fell swoop, but everything before that finish, that was unknown to her. "What will you do if I tell you?"

"That's a very good question Yusei." Godwin rested his head on his left hand, tapped his finger just below his ear. "If you tell me everything, share with me all that you did and all that you saw in the Arcadia Movement Headquarters, then I will allow you and everyone else the freedom to roam Neo-Domino City as you please, until such time that I must call upon you all once more." Godwin smiled. "Does that sound amenable to you?" Aki heard the converse meaning of Godwin's offer; tell him everything, or he would have them all confined. She looked over at Rua and Ruka, she looked Yusei in the eyes.

Yusei told Godwin everything, every move of every turn, every word that came out of Divine's mouth as best he could recall it. He even shared how Divine had tried to manipulate him, trick him into submitting to his will. Godwin paused, turned to Jack. "What about you? I understand that you dueled Hayate again; do you believe that he's taken the Fifth Dragon to a hidden location?"

"It's certainly plausible." Jack kept his arms crossed as he spoke. "Of course, with Divine and the rest of the Arcadia Movement out of the way, it's only a matter of time before you find it."

"Absolutely, but at the same time there is also the matter of locating the Fifth Signer." Godwin turned his eyes to Ruka. "Ruka, when you have fully recovered and the Fifth Dragon is in our possession, I would like you to examine the decks we've confiscated from the Psychic Duelists."

"Huh?" Rua looked around. "I don't get it…wait, you mean…" Rua looked to his sister.

"You want me to see if one of them might be the Fifth Signer."

"You are as insightful as your grades have indicated." Godwin chuckled in a manner approximating a proud father; Aki had no use for it, but it seemed that Ruka did, if the shy blush on her face was any indication. Aki supposed that in the end Ruka was still a child, still vulnerable to such things. "In all likelihood none of them will have that potential, but why overlook the possibility?"

"…If it means making sure that nothing like this will ever happen again, that no one will ever have to hurt like we have, then I'll do whatever I can." Aki felt an ache in her chest, her heart; Ruka, she still had hope in her heart despite everything she'd faced in her young life. Aki tried to imagine it, tried to picture herself doing the same thing; it made her stomach lurch.

"Then everything is settled." Godwin leaned back in his seat. "Jaeger, if you would?"

"Yes, Director Godwin." The vice-director brought out his PDA, pressed a few keys. "There, now Yusei's, Jack's, and Aki's criminal records have all been cleared. I await your appreciation and gratitude." The limo stopped. "Hmm, I suppose I will have to receive your thanks another time." Jaeger got up and put his hand on the door. "Remember, keep smiling; the people will be expecting their heroes to be happy that their long battle is over at last." Aki clenched her fist, she wanted to leave then and there, but then she saw Rua mouthing the word 'heroes' and sleeking his hair back and tugging his on his ponytail.

"Fine." Aki worked the muscles in her cheeks, looked to her mother whose face was like a mirror to her own; it was closed, forced, nowhere near her eyes, and if Jaeger had a problem with that, he could tell her himself.

* * *

><p>This was not the first event that Jack Atlas had attended, but it was the first that he'd attended without Mikage. He picked up a morsel of food, an hors d'oeuvre he remembered her calling it, chewed on it absent-mindedly. "Mr. Atlas!" He turned his head and saw a large thin, weedy man, his aura that of someone who never swallowed unless they absolutely loved what they were eating. He spoke again, his voice a surprisingly deep baritone. "Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Hiashi Hyuga, and I am a member of the senate."<p>

"Senator Hyuga?" Jack kept his eyes from narrowing. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" This was the man that Mikage had been assigned to protect before he'd arrived in the city.

"Why, you of course; that Riding Duel of yours throughout the whole city, I've never seen anything like it." She'd protected him, but his wife had been caught in the crossfire.

"Oh? I wasn't aware that I'd driven by your home." That had been tragedy enough by itself.

"You hadn't, but I caught the live footage, and…words fail me." Senator Hyuga patted Jack on the shoulder. "Summon that…Savior Demon Dragon of yours again, and not even the Black Rose…that is, Aki, could stand up to you." Senator Hyuga had used his wife's death and Mikage's determination to his political advantage.

"If I had to rely on a beast like that to regain my title, I wouldn't deserve it." Jack swept Senator Hyuga's hand off his shoulder.

"If you insist; even with such a handicap, I believe your skill has grown sufficiently to set everything back in its proper place." Whatever the hell Senator Hyuga had in mind, Jack wanted no part of it.

"I thought we'd set everything back on the proper track already?" The man had a good poker face, Jack didn't want to know what he'd think of this man if Mikage hadn't told him about her past.

"Oh, we're on the way, there is no doubt, but officially Aki is still the King of Riding Duels, and I for one have a nephew who asks me every chance he has when Jack Atlas is going to be King of Riding Duels again." The man knew nothing of course, nothing at all about how he'd just triggered Jack's memories of Rally.

"Then he's just going to have to deal with his disappointment for a while longer yet." Now that got a reaction from Senator Hyuga; he probably couldn't remember the last time he'd been so rebuked.

"Jack, perhaps you are still too exhausted to think clearly." Senator Hyuga reached into his coat pocket and produced a business card. "If you should change your mind and realize that you will need official support beyond what Director Godwin is likely to give you…" Jack saw the phone-number and other contact information on the card.

"Of course." Jack took the card, bowed to the man, watched him walk away, then tore the card in half. Jack then looked over to Aki, saw that she was standing with her mother at the other end of the room. Then she suddenly turned, walked away towards the exit.

* * *

><p>"My goodness, you are such a brave little thing." Ruka felt the gray-haired woman pinch her cheeks and saw Rua silently snickering at her, his face asking her how she liked it when she got her cheeks squeezed silly. "I swear, my granddaughter Sakura could stand to learn a thing or two from you."<p>

"Oh?" Ruka smiled as the woman let go of her cheek. "Thank you, Mrs…"

"Mizushima, darling. Mrs. Mizushima."

Ruka felt a glow settle in the pit of her stomach. "Maybe sometime tomorrow you could introduce me to your granddaughter?"

"Tomorrow's no good dear." The woman reached into her purse, her hand covered by a fine opera glove, and pulled out a PDA. "Yes, my little cherry blossom will be busy with piano practice, swim practice, and her private tutoring in all her subjects. There's an opening on the day after though"

"That…sounds like a lot of work."

"Not at all; why, she even has the day off from dueling practice, even though she only has a 77% victory rate right now."

"_Only_ 77%?" The elegant woman nodded. Ruka narrowed her eyes. "So long as she's having fun, who cares how many times she wins or loses?"

"Now, now, that sort of talk might be appropriate for your brother," Ruka did not hide the scowl on her face, and the elegant woman did not notice, "but my granddaughter has expectations of her, and the sooner she understands those expectations and accepts them the way you did yours, the better off we'll all be."

"You mean the better off you'll be."

Mrs. Mizushima narrowed her eyes while keeping her smile the same. "My little dear, you're the one who's supposed to be rubbing off on the Black Rose Witch, not the other way around."

"Hey!" Rua cut Ruka off as he marched in towards them, salmon pate in his hands. "You take back what you said about Aki, right now!" Rua's nostrils flared, and Ruka felt no desire to tell her brother to pipe down. "There's nothing wrong with my sister associating with Aki in any way."

"…Yes, I forget, she has been cleared of her…indiscretions." Mrs. Mizushima bowed to the two of them. "If you'll excuse me." She walked away, looking back over her shoulder with eyes so narrow they resembled knives.

"…You don't…suppose Aki overheard any of that, do you?" Ruka said, and the two of them looked about, and saw Aki with her mother; before they could sigh, they saw her leaving her mother, walking to the exit.

* * *

><p>Yusei had found himself in the midst of a crowd of women, some around his age, some a good ten or fifteen years older than him. "Oh, poor baby." One of the younger women said as she pawed at one of the bruises on his arm. "You must have had it so rough in that battle at the Arcadia Movement."<p>

"Remember everyone, he's from the Satellite," one of the older women said, fanning her fan in front of her face. "He's clearly used to the rough-and-tumble lifestyle."

"Oh yes, that's very true." Another young woman said; honestly, they all sort of washed together into an indistinct blur. "But you can just tell that he's not dangerous to anyone who isn't threatening him."

"Oh, I agree, you can see it in his eyes, he's such a gentle soul."

"And you saw the way he protected that girl, Ruka was her name?"

"Oh yes, he'd be absolutely perfect with children, no question about that."

"And it's faint, but you can pick up the scent of motor oil off of his gloves."

"Oh, is that what that is?"

"Yes, so as you can see he's got so many uses around the house."

"Indeed, you just have to be the one who can heal him up…"

"…Show him that he's safe with you…"

"…and he's all yours."

The women demonstrated no interest in what Yusei thought at all, and so when he saw Aki out of the corner of his eye, saw her breaking away from her mother, he removed himself from the women without a second thought.

* * *

><p>"Aki!" She heard them call out to her as she walked down the lonely hall to the exit; her mother, Ruka, Rua, Jack, even Yusei.<p>

"I suppose it is better that I say goodbye to all of you at the same time." She turned to face them, she owed them that much.

"You're not just talking about leaving the party." Jack Atlas had his arms crossed over his chest.

Aki nodded. "I'm leaving this city."

"What?!" Rua's eyes bugged out, he looked right up at her. "But, Mr. Godwin, he said your crimanal…criminal record was cleared, and you could go wherever you liked." He looked away, but not before Aki saw the tears welling in the corners of his eyes; something inside her demanded that she console the boy, it was that same something that had compelled her when she'd run into him in the Daimon Area just before the Fortune Cup tournament.

"Rua…" It was Ruka who comforted the boy first. "Just because Godwin said that, doesn't mean it didn't happen; people just aren't going to forget everything that happened."

"But…" Rua wiped his nose on the sleeve of his shirt. "We know Aki isn't…" He turned back to face her. "You can stay with your mother, can't you? We could stay with you, couldn't we?" Aki realized that Rua had meant more than just him and his sister; he was also counting Jack and Yusei, he wanted all of them together, all of them to be like a family together. "It doesn't matter what anyone says, we all know who you really are." Aki felt she had a good grasp of the picture Rua had in his mind; herself as the big sister, her mother as theirs, Yusei the big brother, and Jack the distant older cousin.

Aki sighed, felt a familiar lurch in her stomach. "I'm sorry Rua, it's not just about my past." She reached her hand out and touched the wall; she used just the tip of her finger, light as a feather, yet cracks formed like she'd smashed it with a ball-point hammer. "I still can't control my power; I'm still a danger to myself and everyone around me."

"Are you sure, Aki?" Her mother wrapped her hands around her locket. "Even after your duel with Yusei?"

Aki dipped her head and turned away. "The tide was stemmed, but it's rising again; not as fast as before, but unstoppable all the same."

"Then we'll duel again." Yusei said. "We'll duel as often as it takes."

Aki chuckled, she smiled at Yusei. "In a very strange way, that was almost romantic, Yusei Fudou." Jack snickered, Ruka blushed, Rua blinked several times, her mother smiled sadly, and Yusei just kept on looking at her. "But I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline; this curse is one I have to overcome through my own strength, I won't let myself be dependent on you or anyone else ever again, and I won't hurt you either."

Yusei smiled. "I know you'll succeed Aki." Yusei said. "When you come back, we'll be waiting for you." Aki supposed that Yusei had that same family picture in his mind as well.

"Aki." Her mother stepped forward. "I know I can't stop you, I know I don't have the right, and I won't be a burden by trying to come with you, so…" She took off her locket. "Please." She held it out to her.

Aki looked at the locket; she breathed in and out, in and out, she remembered everything that had happened before. "I will." She took the locket, her mother's promise that she would always be there for her, no matter what. She put it on, and walked away.

* * *

><p>"Director Godwin, you are certain that you don't want to intervene?" Vice Director Jaeger said, keeping the signs of his distress down to the unceasing tapping of his feet.<p>

"Of course Jaeger; people function best when they believe that they can act on their own free-will, unhindered and unburdened." Godwin smiled as they watched the footage of Aki Izayoi leaving the building, replaying the audio of her intent to leave the city.

"Perhaps," Jaeger said, wondering how much of his own life had been under his own control, "but we will need someone to keep an eye on her for as long as she intends to sojourn in the wasteland."

"She is the Black Rose Witch; I doubt you will have any difficulty digging up someone motivated to follow her every movement."

"Understood, sir."


	43. Chapter 43

**A Rematch to Remember**

* * *

><p>"So, what do you think?" Jack said as Mikage went over the files he'd given to her, that had been given to him by Setsuko that morning. "Any models jump out at you?"<p>

"Jack, this isn't a D-Wheel we're talking about here." Mikage said, shuffling through the pages one at a time. "A wrong choice here can't be fixed just by hiring the right mechanic."

"You underestimate what it takes to repair a D-Wheel Mikage." Jack had a cocked smile on his face.

"Just because you would spend hours fussing over every maintenance check…"

"The King does not fuss, least of all over his chariot." Jack harrumphed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"But what about Jack Atlas?" Mikage put down the documents, looked up at him with her tongue in cheek. "Surely he's fussed Martha into letting him stay up past his bedtime before?"

Jack turned away too late, Mikage saw the red on his cheek. "I liked it better when all you knew was that I was from the Satellite."

"Well, I for one am glad that I learned that the Satellite isn't the horror story that my parents told me it was."

Jack paused, his expression turned neutral. "Your parents told you horror stories about the Satellite?"

Mikage removed her tongue from her cheek. "Yes; my friends and I would even share the stories that our parents told us, to see whose were scariest."

"And not a one of your parents ever stepped foot into the Satellite itself I'd wager." Mikage nodded. "Just like me and Yusei and all the other brats in the Satellite would share stories about the City; bread that wasn't black, water you didn't have to purify, cards you didn't have to dig through the trash to find, security officers who'd actually listen to you and were on your side…yeah, it was stupid, but that was the sort of stuff we all dreamed about back then, figured that's what paradise was all about."

"I don't think that's stupid at all Jack." Mikage put the documents down on her lap. "That you and so many others had to dream about what I'd taken for granted growing up, that's the stupid part."

"I doubt you were thinking about any of that when we were fighting the Rabid Weasels."

"I was more concerned with our survival and safety at the time, yes, but that doesn't mean I can't acknowledge that if it weren't for the complete and total lack of opportunity in the Satellite, that gang might not have existed."

"A good sentiment, now let's see if we can find anyone in the city who'd agree to that."

"I think I could go with that idea." Jack and Mikage turned their heads.

"It's just you then." Jack said, noticing Mukuro's limp as he entered the room on his crutches, to say nothing of all the scars all over his face and arms. "Is this a habit of yours, inserting yourself into other people's conversations?" Jack recalled that day when Mukuro had tried to attack him in his locker room; Mikage had dealt with him then, but now…

"Eh, this time it was just a coincidence; I was talking to a nurse about getting a deal on my pain medication, when I happened to hear you two out of the corner of my ear." He then looked over Mikage, looked over the catheters and other medical equipment that she was plugged into. "Shit, and I thought I had it rough; you really got no feeling in your legs?"

"That's correct." Mikage picked the documents back up off her lap, went over them again. "Is there something you needed from us?"

"Need?" Mukuro shook his head. "Got plenty of stuff I want, don't get me wrong, but all I need is my freedom, and since Security doesn't seem to give a rat's ass about me what with all the Psychic Duelists they've got to process now."

"I'm surprised; your sort, I'd figure you'd say you needed one last duel against me." Jack smirked.

"Eh, just wouldn't be right without me being able to ride my D-Wheel; besides, you saw everything my new deck had to offer in my match against Tsukiko, you've probably got a dozen counters worked out."

"Of course I do." Jack said; Mukuro narrowed his eyes, or at least Jack assumed he did so from behind the shades he never took off.

"…You didn't pay any attention to my duel at all, did you?" Mukuro turned to Mikage. "Tell me the truth, Jack here didn't watch my match, did he?"

"I wouldn't know, but considering how many of your decks he'd already faced, I wouldn't be surprised." Mikage turned to the next document.

"Wouldn't know…Oh yeah, the tabloids mentioned something about that; didn't pay them much mind, those pricks are always making stupid shit up you know? Guess there was something to that after all, but it's none of my business…but what is my business is that you didn't even pay the slightest bit of attention to your longest standing rival in a duel where his bike had been rigged to blow apart the moment he hit zero life points."

"So, what do you want now? You've already admitted you can't ride a D-Wheel with your leg being in the shape it's in."

"Hell, a Duel Disc is more strain on my arm than my doctor likes, but you know what? There's no crowd here, no one to perform for, and just enough room for the two of us to sit down on the floor and put our cards down."

Jack just looked at Mukuro. "You do realize that's how kids in the Satellite duel, right? You really okay with stooping down that low, just to get a game in?"

"Like I've got any illusions about myself." Mukuro put his crutches down, sat down at the foot of Mikage's hospital bed.

"You should go ahead and give him what he wants Jack." Mikage said, still not looking away from her documents. "I've wrestled with his type more times than I care to count, you have to end these things decisively and on their terms for it to stick."

Jack smiled, sat down and took out his deck. As he shuffled his cards, he pictured the battle in his mind, saw his monsters come to life, eager to aid him in reaching victory. "Here I go." Jack drew his cards, took the first turn. "I activate Suspect Gift, and discard Twin-Sword Marauder to special summon two Suspect Gift Tokens to your side of the field in defense position." The image was clear to Jack, the slobbering horned devils now on Mukuro's side of the field, each one level two, perfect bait for what he had in mind. "And now, since you control monsters while I do not, I will normal summon Big Piece Golem and set one card to end my turn." Jack imagined the sounds of his monsters footsteps, felt the ground shake.

"Turn 2, Jack Atlas: 4000 life points, Mukuro Enjo: 4000 life points." Jack and Mukuro looked up at the sound of Mikage's voice; she didn't look like she was paying attention, but Jack found that appearances were almost always deceiving with Mikage.

"Suspect Gift? Eh, I'll go ahead and take my lumps and make use of that gift by summoning Scrap Beast to the field." Scrap, eh? Mukuro wasn't kidding when he'd said he had no illusions about himself. "I now tune both of the level two tokens you gave me to my level 4 tuner monster." Jack watched the cobbled-together dog-bot bark mechanically, four rings, four stars. "Smashed into trash a hundred times, rising up yet again to fight the good fight! Synchro Summon! Come, Scrap Dragon!" Metal clanged on metal while steam plumed out from pipes sticking out from random points on its body, that was how Jack envisioned Mukuro's 2800 attack power monster.

"And now you'll suffer the effect of my Suspect Gift Tokens." The Suspect Gift Tokens appeared as transparent specters before Mukuro. "If they are removed from the field by the controlling player, that player takes 500 points for each so removed, and look what you just did with them."

"And there's the lumps." Mukuro said as he notched the damage down on a sheet of paper. "That's okay, 'cause I'm still going to be able to activate Scrap Dragon's effect."

"No you won't."

"Oh yeah? Why not?"

"Because I activated my Fiendish Chain trap card." The weight of those chains would be more than enough to force Mukuro's monster to the ground, preventing it from doing anything at all.

"So you did…" Mukuro rubbed his chin. "Well then, I'll just have to go and set two cards to end my turn."

"Turn 3, Jack Atlas: 4000 life points, Mukuro Enjo: 3000 life points."

Jack drew his card, saw that he got just what he needed to press his advantage. "I summon Small Piece Golem, and since I have Large Piece Golem on the field, that means I get to special summon Medium Piece Golem from my deck." Jack searched through his deck, struck by the memories of when he'd assembled his very first deck; the last card was in a carburetor pipe, horribly bent and with cuts along the edge. Most everyone's cards were like that though, so no one cared about the risk that he'd marked his on purpose. "Now, I activate Fusion Road, and send all three of my monsters to the grave to Fusion Summon All-Piece Golem." A monster like this one, it would have been unthinkable to find its kind in the Satellite, 3000 attack points and a powerful effect on top of that. "All-Piece Golem will now attack and destroy Scrap Dragon for 200 points of damage." The amalgamated stone construct lumbered towards Mukuro's monster.

"Oh, it gets destroyed all right, but your Fiendish Chain can't stop an effect that activates from the grave." All-Piece Golem pounded Scrap Dragon into the ground, and when it walked away, something started moving amidst all the rubble. "When destroyed by my opponent and sent to the grave, Scrap Dragon's effect activates, letting me special summon a non-synchro Scrap Monster in my grave to the field."

"That certainly goes with the chant." Jack said to himself, and for a moment, in the very moment in which Mukuro took Scrap Beast out of the grave and back onto his field in defense position, he saw Yusei; the Yusei that he'd first met at Martha's, the quiet boy who always had his nose in some book. It was ludicrous, absurd really, yet it was an idea that Jack wouldn't…couldn't, discard so easily. "In any event, I now activate All-Piece Golem's effect; after it has battled, I can send it to the grave and special summon all three Piece Golems back from the grave." Jack's monster broke apart neatly into its component monsters. "Medium Piece Golem, attack Scrap Beast." The middle monster wound up its arm, thrust forward…

"And now I activate my trap card, Scrap Rage, increasing Scrap Beast's defense power by 2000!" Jets of plasma and steam shot out of every crack and crevice in Scrap Beast's body, scorching Medium Piece Golem and driving it back to Jack's side of the field as he took 1700 points of damage. "Now, I don't think you'll be wanting to throw your remaining monsters at mine, so I'll go ahead and declare the battle phase over, and with that Scrap Rage's second effect activates to destroy Scrap Beast." Burned out, Scrap Beast collapsed, nothing more than a hollow husk. "However, before anything else, I activate my Permanent Trap card, Scrap Bombardment; now, whenever a Scrap monster's destroyed by a Scrap effect, I can discard a Scrap monster from my hand to go ahead and destroy a monster you control, so I'll be dropping Scrap Kong and taking out your Large Piece Golem." Broken pieces of shrapnel rained down on Jack's strongest monster, smashing it until there was nothing left but dust. "And now I'll be going ahead and activating Scrap Beast's effect; when destroyed and sent to the grave by a Scrap effect, I can go ahead and add a Scrap monster other than Beast from my grave back to my hand, so I'll be taking back Kong thank you very much."

"Oh, that's a clever move there all right." Jack notched down the damage he'd taken. "But I've got a trick up my sleeve that you should be very familiar with; by removing Fusion Road in my grave from play, along with the Fusion Monster I'd summoned with it, I can draw two cards."

"Oh yeah, you used that one all that time." Mukuro said while Jack put Fusion Road and All-Piece Golem into his coat pocket, removed from the game. "You certainly weren't worried about the crowd getting bored of that card."

"Why turn down such a useful card? And besides, between all the different monsters it can summon, and the myriad cards it can add to my hand, it's quite the versatile piece of cardboard indeed." It was definitely a strange thing to think about, how so much was being driven by something so simple…yet, sure as the mark on his arm, Jack knew it wasn't that simple at all. "In any event, I'll set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 4, Jack Atlas: 2300 life points, Mukuro Enjo: 2800 life points." If Mikage was in anyway perturbed by how he'd fallen behind, she didn't let it show.

Mukuro drew his next card, and grinned like a loon. "All right, now it's time to really show you what this deck of mine is made of; first up, I'm summoning Scrap Worm, and then I'm going to activate Scrap Orthus's effect to special summon it to the field and destroy Scrap Worm, which, oh, let's me activate Scrap Bombardment's effect." There was a clang and clatter of metal on concrete as the Scrap Worm burrowed up from underground, only for it to be torn apart by Orthros's fangs and the resultant shrapnel tossed at Medium Piece Golem, breaking down Jack's second monster. "And now, I'll special summon Scrap Breaker, activating its effect to destroy Scrap Orthros and starting the cycle all over again." Mukuro was nothing if not thorough; not only had he wiped away the entirety of Jack's frontline, but he'd kept his hand intact as well. It was the sort of strategy that…no, it wasn't anything like the strategies Yusei had come up with. "Now then, I'll have Scrap Breaker attack you directly."

Mukuro's monster clanged its arms together before flying forward. "Trap card, Shadow Spell." Dark chains wrapped themselves around Mukuro's monster, weighing it down and sapping its strength by 700 points. "All for naught."

"Hey, even with that, you've still got to draw something that can fight back, so go ahead and take your turn."

"Turn 5, Jack Atlas: 2300 life points, Mukuro Enjo: 2800 life points."

It wasn't a problem for Jack to get a strong monster in his hand, as he already had it before he even drew his next card. "Now I'll summon Power Breaker and have it attack your weakened Scrap Breaker, destroying it for 500 points of damage, at which point Power Breaker will switch itself to defense position at the end of the battle phase." Slam, bash, down went Mukuro's monster, and now Jack's monster was crouched in defense position, weak but certain to guard his life points. "Now I'll set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 6, Jack Atlas: 2300 life points, Mukuro Enjo: 2300 life points."

Mukuro drew his card, scratched his chin. "Damn, wish I'd added Scrap Worm back to my hand at the end last turn; oh well, got to go with the move you actually made, right? Right, I'm summoning Scrap Beast and I'm going to attack and destroy Power Breaker." Mukuro's monster pounced on Jack's, ripping its throat out, and upon being destroyed Power Breaker activated its effect, destroying Scrap Bombardment. "And there we go, my turn's over."

"Turn 7, Jack Atlas: 2300 life points, Mukuro Enjo: 2300 life points."

Jack checked his hand; he'd made progress, but it would take more before he could go on the offensive again. "I summon Top Runner in defense, and set one card to end my turn."

"Turn 8, Jack Atlas: 2300 life points, Mukuro Enjo: 2300 life points."

Mukuro drew his card, caught a gleam of light off his sunglasses. "Oh, that's what I'm talking about! I sacrifice Scrap Beast and summon Scrap Golem!" In all honesty, Mukuro's latest monster looked more like some sort of deranged refrigerator than anything else. "Once per turn, Scrap Golem can special summon a level four or lower Scrap Monster from my grave to either side of the field; you get that Jack? If you had just a few less life points, I could saddle you with Scrap Worm, who's only got 500 attack points, and blow it up to kingdom come for massive damage, and there'd be nothing you could do about it. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to finish you off like that, and you have all those face-down cards besides, so instead I'm going to special summon Scrap Beast back to my side of the field, and tune Golem to it." Four rings, five stars. "The wind blows through the junkyard, sending the scrap flying to the sky! Synchro Summon! Come on out, Scrap Twin Dragon!" The roars echoed on themselves as the two-headed monster clambered onto the field. "And now I'll set one card and activate Scrap Twin Dragon's effect to destroy it and return two cards you control back to your hand!"

"And there we go." Jack grinned as he turned his trap card over. "Chain Burden activates when you target a card I control with a monster effect; I negate that monster's effect and cut its attack power in half." Jack watched chains tangle around both of Scrap Twin Dragon's long necks, clanging the heads together.

"Still leaves me enough attack power to get rid of Top Runner." Both heads bit down together, destroying Jack's monster. "Remember though, Scrap Twin Dragon's other effect is just like Scrap Dragon, activating from the grave, and with the options I've got, that means you've got to do a whole hell of a lot of damage to make that trap of yours count. So go ahead Jack, take your turn." Mukuro said, sticking his tongue out.

"Turn 9, Jack Atlas: 2300 life points, Mukuro Enjo: 2300 life points."

Mukuro definitely had something in him, if he could be that damn confident even with his most powerful monster yet utterly crippled. Jack drew his next card, double checked his hand; he had the pieces he needed, but it all depended on what would come next. "I start by activating Powerful Rebirth, special summoning Twin Sword Marauder at one level higher, and then I summon Dark Tinker so I can tune Twin Sword Marauder to it." Three rings, five stars, and a familiar invocation. "The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Demon's Dragon!"

"The same old finisher eh? Powerful that beast might be, but it's not going to be enough."

"Who said I was going to finish this with Red Demon's Dragon? You forget, Dark Tinker's effect will let me draw another card." Jack retrieved his card, turned it over in his hand. "I activate Second Summon, allowing me to perform an additional Normal Summon this turn, and I'll use that to sacrifice Red Demon's Dragon and summon Strong Wind Dragon in its place."

"The hell?! You're giving up your ace?"

"Not entirely, because Strong Wind Dragon gains attack power equal to half that of the Dragon-type monster sacrificed for it, so that makes 2400 plus 1500 equals…"

"Equals my defeat." Mukuro picked up his cards, shuffled them back together, and put them away. "Can't accuse that one of being rigged, now can I?"

"Well, you can blame the gods of fate if you'd like." Jack stood up, extended his hand to his most recurring rival.

"Nah, you go that far and there's no point in even trying." Mukuro rose to his feet, grabbed hold of his crutches. "Anyway, I got what I wanted, so I'll be getting out of your hair."

"Hold on a second." Mikage said. Mukuro turned around, she was holding out one of the documents to him. "You should take a look at this one."

"Let me see…" Mukuro peered down at the document, tilting his sunglasses to properly read it. "Reconstructive Surgery?"

"As I understand it, your nerves weren't damaged, so you should be able to benefit from that sort of procedure, and I can assure you, Jack has more than enough to pay for it in his account."

Mukuro just held the document before his face. "You sure about this?"

"I did have you sent to the Detention Center."

"…That is true." Mukuro sighed. "Goddamn but have we led weird lives or what?"

Jack grinned. "Mukuro, you don't even know a tenth of it."


	44. Chapter 44

**Finding Your Path**

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><p>Rua sat on the couch in the living room of his and Ruka's apartment, arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed, lips curled down on his face. Ruka had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing; sure, he'd grown up a lot, but his cheeks were still a bit too chubby to pull that sort of Jack Atlas pose off. "Ruka." His voice though, that really had changed, and so Ruka faced her brother seriously. "For a long time we've both been stuck in here, all because I thought it was the only way to keep you safe."<p>

Ruka smiled and shook her head. "Rua, it wasn't just you, remember? I cooped myself up in here on my own." Ruka looked up at her room, remembered the times she would only come out to eat and go back in right away; it was unbelievable how much things had changed since then, all the places she'd been, the things she'd done, the people she'd met…what would Rua think if she told him what was on her mind?

"Yeah, well, I still feel really rotten over doing such a cruddy job trying to keep you safe and all, and so I've been thinking real hard, and I think I've come up with a good idea." Rua nodded to himself.

"…You're not going to tell me that you've already done it and you're only letting me know about it now, right?" Ruka watched her brother open his yes with a certain small satisfaction.

"Hey, I'm not that stupid, okay?" Rua's familiar huff had Ruka giggling. "I'm just…look, I think maybe we should ditch the online tutoring thing and start going to public school from now on."

Ruka blinked. "You sure about that? You do realize you won't be able to duel away all your problems, right? There's going to be teachers, and students who wouldn't know the difference between a Quick Spell and a Counter Trap if their lives depended on it."

"Even I know there's more to life than just dueling." Rua put his hands down on the coffee table. "That's why I'm saying we should go there, so we can learn all that stuff and grow up to be just as awesome as Yusei, and Jack, and…" His voice caught in his throat, he swallowed. "…And yes, Aki too; she's out there in the wasteland trying to find herself again, and we owe it to her to do the same as much as we can."

Ruka stood up, walked up to her brother with a blank, neutral expression. She put her hand on his head and mussed up his hair. "I should have known." She laughed as he swept her hand away. "After all, I was thinking the exact same thing."

"Wha…you mean that? E-even the part about Aki?"

"Of course." Ruka pulled down her sleeve to show Rua her Dragon Birthmark.

"R-right." Rua stood up, rubbed the back of his head. "So, when do you want to go and…" Rua started snapping his fingers.

"Register?" Rua stopped snapping, nodded. "How about right now?"

"All right, I'll go call a cab and we'll go down there in person to let them know!" Rua ran over to the phone and made the call, and before long they were at Neo-Domino Middle School. "Hello, we'd like to register for enrollment at your fine educational institution!" Rua said as they stepped into the admissions office.

Ruka…she just looked at her brother before reading the nameplate on the desk, Mr. Hikawa. "Yes, well, when your parents get here, they can fill out the paperwork…" Mr. Hikawa, his voice trailing off as he turned to look at them. "Ruka?" She nodded. "The…the heroine who went into the Arcadia Movement to rescue her brother?"

"Hey, she didn't go just to save me! She helped save a whole lot of people!"

"Yes, of course, you're absolutely right." Ruka smiled at her brother. "Yes, let me see here, your legal guardian is…" Mr. Hikawa typed away on his computer. "…Vice Director Jaeger…I will contact him right away, so, why don't you two take a look around the school? It's actually pretty close to our lunch break, so you should be able to meet your new classmates before long, see what it's going to be like here."

"Thank you sir, we'll do just that." Ruka said as she bowed, Rua following her lead. They left while Mr. Hikawa contacted Jaeger, having no interest in listening in on that conversation, not after Rua's duel with Jaeger. So they walked around, going up and down the stairs from one level to the next, noting where all the classrooms and bathrooms and other facilities were, when the bell rang; within moments there were more kids out in the halls than Ruka and Rua had ever seen in their lives, much less all at one time. They avoided being swept up in the crowd, kept ahead and were among the first to enter the cafeteria. The twins found a corner where they could stand and watch, and so they did; they noted the uniforms, the lines they got into as they picked up their trays while others took out the lunches they'd brought with them from home.

"Hello Ruka." The two turned their heads and saw Mimi Kaneko standing before them. "What brings you out of that hidey-hole you call a home?" Ruka remembered her well; she'd come to their apartment shortly before Yusei had arrived, intent on challenging her to prove herself the better duelist against the rumored prodigy. Rua had tried to stop her, knowing that she would pass out after the duel, but failed, and cried like he used to after losing his duels.

Other students gathered around Mimi, their eyes were on them. "Holy…it really is her." A bespectacled boy said.

"Wow, I can't believe she's really here." A dark-skinned blonde girl said.

"So she's here." A dour boy with hair dark hair shaped not unlike Divine's; for a moment Ruka thought there was a connection there, but decided that there was no way Godwin would allow him to walk around free if there was. "So what?"

"What it means, 'Sly'," Mimi said, her tone conveying that this was only a nickname for the dour boy, "is that now I have the chance to redeem myself for my conduct from before." Mimi stepped forward, looked away from Ruka. "Well? Are you willing to duel me again, and see how far I've come?"

Ruka looked Mimi in the eyes. "Could you take out your deck?" Mimi did so, making sure that no one could see her cards. Ruka closed her eyes, and almost lost her breath at what she'd felt from Mimi's cards; for her to put that kind of deck together after their duel…

"Well? Are you going to duel Mimi?" One of the larger boys said.

"Keep it down Bob." The blonde girl said.

"I was just asking, Patty."

"Guys…" The bespectacled boy shook his head.

"Sorry Tenpei." Both said, and all was silent as all eyes were on Ruka.

"Mimi, I will let you duel me on one condition." Ruka put her hand on Rua's shoulder. "Well Rua?"

"M-me?"

"Him?!" Everyone in the crowd said…except for Mimi.

"I accept." Mimi closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nostrils. She turned to Rua and opened her eyes. "You better not disappoint Ruka, you got that Rua?"

Rua blinked a couple of times, then cleared his throat. "Don't worry Mimi, my days of disappointing myself are way behind me." Rua dug through his pack for his Duel Disk while Mimi got out hers. The crowd moved out to give them space, Ruka moving towards Patty and her friends. "Wait, is this okay? I mean, are there any rules against dueling during the lunch period?"

"Only if we miss class because of it, and I have no plans for missing out on math, you got that Rua?"

Rua smiled. "Don't worry Mimi, I'm going to be teaching you all kinds of math tricks before this duel is done." Rua drew his cards. "So, let's start things off nice and simple, and summon Deformer Lightron in defense position."

"Turn 2, Rua: 4000 life points, Mimi Kaneko: 4000 life points."

There were scattered snickers throughout the crowd, Mimi raised her hand and silenced them. "I summon Chaos-End Master in attack position." Ruka felt it as Mimi's warrior monster took to the field, a golden white warrior with wings spread out; it was that same determination as before, but now there was something more. "Chaos-End Master will attack and destroy Deformer Lightron, activating its effect to special summon a level 5 or above monster from my deck with 1600 or less attack points." Mimi's monster brought its fists together and shot a concussive beam of light into Rua's monster, breaking it apart and leaving behind a shimmering wall of light in accordance with Deformer Lightron's effect; thus, when Sphere of Chaos appeared on Mimi's side of the field, looming ominously and looking down upon Rua, there was nothing it could do against him.

"See that Mimi? Just one card of mine is enough to stop your strategy in its tracks."

"You stopped some extra damage, but my strategy is going ahead at full-force; now, upon entering my second main phase, I activate my spell card, Level Life, reducing Sphere of Chaos from level 5 to level 4 and recovering 500 life points." Sphere of Chaos shrank down, the excess mass becoming a gentle rain of sparkles onto the young girl. "Thus, I can go ahead and tune my level 3 Chaos-End Master to my level 4 Sphere of Chaos." Three stars, four rings. "Growing with me, shrinking with me, your survival fueled by my very soul! Synchro Summon! " Ruka watched her brother's jaw drop as Mimi's monster took form; long and sinewy, serpentine with pale-white scales and a long plume of blonde hair from its head, there were clear differences to be sure, but it was clear to them what Mimi's monster was emulating. "Behold, the Ancient Sacred Wyvern!"

Rua smirked. "I guess Ruka rubbed off on you more than I realized."

"You better believe it, seeing as she was the first duelist to ever beat me, and you better believe that my monster has some serious power to it; you see, when my life points are greater than yours, it gains attack power equal to the difference, which raises it to a total of 2600." Arcs of light emanated from Mimi's body onto Ancient Sacred Wyvern, suffusing it with power. "Now I'll set two cards, and end my turn."

"Turn 3, Rua: 4000 life points, Mimi Kaneko: 4500 life points."

A deck like that, one centered on life point manipulation, it was a good test for Rua. "Right, so all I have to do is get rid of that monster and it'll be smooth sailing from here." Rua drew his next card, Ruka watched to see whether he was like he was, or if he was just putting on act. "I'll start my turn by activating Junk Box to special summon Deformer Lightron back from the grave, and then I'll sacrifice that to summon Gadget Trailer from my hand!" Loud honks echoed as the massive truck drove up alongside Rua. "Now, while Gadget Trailer might only have 1300 attack points, once per turn I can discard any number of Deformer monsters from my hand to increase Gadget Trailer's attack power by 800 points for each one, so I'll go ahead and discard two Deformers from my hand," Magnen I and Cameran, "and raise Gadget Trailer's attack power to 2900." From where Ruka stood, she could see that Rua had two more Deformer monster in his hand; she smiled at this, the cocky attitude really was just an act. "Now, I'm going to go ahead and attack your Ancient Sacred Wyvern for 300 points of damage." The trailer opened up to reveal a massive cannon, and opened fire on Mimi's monster.

"Actually, you'll be doing zero damage, because I activate Defense Draw." Mimi said as Ancient Sacred Wyvern faded away, drawing a card in accordance with her trap's effect. "And now, since my monster was destroyed by battle, I can activate its second effect, and pay 1000 life points to special summon it back from the grave." Ancient Sacred Wyvern spiraled up from the ground, coiled protectively around Mimi. "Now, this does mean that I now have 500 fewer life points than you, so now my monster's attack power drops from 2600 to 1600." Mimi giggled. "But I've still got it on the field, and that's the most important thing in this game."

"That's definitely a really important part, I'll give you that." Rua said. "So, I'll go ahead and end my turn right here."

"Turn 4, Rua: 4000 life points, Mimi Kaneko: 3500 life points."

Mimi drew her card in a wide, sweeping arc. "I summon Blade Knight to the field." A warrior in sleek blue armor stood poised and ready for battle. "Next, I set two cards from my hand, and now that I have only one card in my hand, Blade Knight gains an additional 400 attack points, bringing it to a total of 2000 attack points, which means that when I activate my face-down Mystic Wok and sacrifice it, I gain 2000 life points, which means…"

"Ancient Sacred Wyvern gains 2000 attack points." Ruka watched her brother keep his cards close to his chest, watched as Mimi's monster destroyed Gadget Trailer for 700 points of damage; he wasn't going to give up or panic, he wasn't going to rush and throw away his chances down the line.

"You got that one right Rua, and now Ancient Sacred Wyvern's attack power rises by another 700 points." Mimi's monster roared, the sound reverberating. "Go ahead and take your turn Rua, and make it a good one."

"Turn 5, Rua: 3300 life points, Mimi Kaneko: 5500 life points."

"Oh, I've got a feeling you're going to really like what I've got in mind." Rua drew his next card, then picked out his first monster card. "I summon Deformer Cleanen in defense position and activate its effect to absorb your Ancient Sacred Wyvern into itself!" Everyone braced themselves in the face of the virtual hurricane force wind being sucked into Rua's monster, the wind that dragged Ancient Sacred Wyvern with it.

"A really good move, but since I was already covered for battle, I've made sure to prepare for this sort of thing as well; activate trap card, Divine Wrath!" Mimi discarded the remaining card in her hand and a bolt of lightning crashed down onto Rua's monster, frying it and leaving Ancient Sacred Wyvern none the worse for wear.

"Ah, nuts, that would have been really something if it had worked." Rua slipped the card he'd just drawn into his spell/trap zone, face down. "All right Mimi, let's see if you can do better on your turn."

"Turn 6, Rua: 3300 life points, Mimi Kaneko: 5500 life points."

Mimi drew her card, glanced at it. "Ancient Sacred Wyvern, attack directly and finish off Rua!"

"Ha, not a chance, 'cause I'm activateing my trap card, Deformer Scramble!" Klaxons blared as Deformer Remocom leaped from Rua's hand and onto the field in attack position, effortlessly batting aside Ancient Sacred Wyvern's attack.

"I counter you, and you counter me? Looks like you've managed to improve some Rua; I guess Ruka really did have the right idea, having me duel you first." Mimi giggled. "I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 7, Rua: 3300 life points, Mimi Kaneko: 5500 life points."

Rua drew his card, turned it down in his hand. "I'll start by activating Deformer Remocom's attack position effect; by removing a Deformer monster in my grave from play, I can add a Deformer monster from my deck to my hand of equal level; so, I remove the level one Deformer Lightron and add Deformer Mobaphon to my hand and summon it in attack position, activating its effect." The numbers on Mobaphon's chest lit up one after another, settling on 4, and so Rua picked up the top four cards of his deck. "All right, I'm special summoning Deformer Magnen to the field, and this means I get to tune Mobaphon and Magnen to Remocom!" Three rings, four stars. "Docking strength with courage to protect the world's peace! Synchro Summon! Envoy of love and justice, Power Tool Dragon!" Rua's spun in place, whipping its mechanical wings out before its opponent. "And now I'll activate Power Tool Dragon's effect." Rua picked out three Equip-Spell cards from his deck, Mimi chose the middle one to add to his hand. "And now that means I get to equip Power Tool Dragon with Megamorph, doubling my attack power." Rua pumped his fist. "Okay Mimi, let's find out if your face-down is up to snuff; Power Tool Dragon, attack Ancient Sacred Wyvern!"

"Oh, it's very much up to snuff, because it's Poison of the Old Man, letting me gain 1200 life points!" Ancient Sacred Wyvern grew in majesty and power, surpassing Power Tool Dragon by 900 points.

"Good, but not good enough Mimi; I activate my Quick-Spell, Factory of 100 Machines, removing all six of my Deformers in the grave from play to increase Power Tool Dragon's attack power by 1200 until the end phase, matching your increase exactly!" Power Tool Dragon's body glowed, energy gathering in lines across its armor, and with a mighty blow it crushed Ancient Sacred Wyvern for 300 points of damage.

"Ah, but that increase is only temporary, while my Ancient Sacred Wyvern, like myself, is here to stay!" Mimi gave her life points to her monster, and so it revived, and with the end of the turn, Power Tool Dragon's power diminished, still greater than Ancient Sacred Wyvern, but not by much. Could Rua figure it out, figure out how to beat Mimi?

"Turn 8, Rua: 3300 life points, Mimi Kaneko: 5400 life points."

Mimi drew her card, looked at it pensively. "All right Rua, here we go; I'm summoning Granadora in defense position, activating its effect to increase my life points by 1000." A rather hideous reptile appeared at Mimi's side, curled up on itself in defensive posture. "Now, Ancient Sacred Wyvern is stronger than your Power Tool Dragon and you've got nothing else on your field, in your hand, or in your grave, so I've got nothing to worry about with this attack." Ancient Sacred Wyvern reared up and charged its breath weapon.

"I activate Power Tool Dragon's effect, and send an Equip-Spell card equipped to it to prevent its destruction!" Ancient Sacred Wyvern's brilliant breath washed over Power Tool Dragon, and while it shrank, while Rua took 600 points of damage, Rua kept his monster on the field. "Looks like neither of our monsters are going anywhere anytime soon.

"Maybe, but your life points aren't nearly so durable." Mimi said with a smirk. "I end my turn here."

"Turn 9, Rua: 2700 life points, Mimi Kaneko: 5400 life points."

Ruka wondered if Rua caught Mimi's hesitation in summoning Granadora, and would realize what that meant. "My turn." Rua drew his card. "I activate Power Tool Dragon's effect again." Mimi picked the card to Rua's left. "Right." He looked at his hand a long time. "Okay, here we go; I equip Power Tool Dragon with Raregold Armor, preventing you from attacking any other monsters I control, and then I summon Deformer Clocken in defense position." Good, he was almost there… "Then, I activate Clocken's effect to add a Deformer Counter to itself, and then I attack Granadora with Power Tool Dragon!"

"You got it Rua!" Ruka called out as Power Tool Dragon attacked and destroyed Mimi's second monster, triggering its second effect to inflict 2000 points of damage upon its destruction.

"Yeah, your brother's actually pretty good." Tenpei said as he adjusted his glasses.

"I guess being your sister must have rubbed off on him after all, huh?" Patty said, looking directly at Ruka with a gleam in her eyes.

"I hope you'll teach me what you can sometime." Bob said, hands together in pleading posture.

Ruka saw Sly roll his eyes, and focused her attention on the duel in progress.

"Turn 10, Rua: 2700 life points, Mimi Kaneko: 3400 life points."

"Well played Rua; if you'd just gone on the defense, I could have attacked Power Tool Dragon with Ancient Sacred Wyvern, and then used Granadora to get rid of Deformer Clocken." Mimi drew her card. "Of course, you knew that move would have risks of its own, and sad to say, they were worse than you'd anticipated; I activate Dian Keto the Cure Master and recover 1000 life points, raising Ancient Sacred Wyvern's total attack power to 4800, and since I have no choice, I'll go ahead and attack Power Tool Dragon for 2500 points of damage!"

Rua braced himself as Power Tool Dragon's Raregold Armor shattered, held his ground as almost all of his life points were torn away from him. "But I've still got the most important life point of all, so you still haven't won Mimi." Ruka beamed; it was exactly the sort of thing Yusei would have said, or thought at any rate.

"Maybe, but now I've got a monster that you have no chance of ever beating, and you've got only so many spell's you can attach to your Power Tool Dragon before you run out, so go on ahead and take your turn for all the good it will do you."

"Turn 11, Rua: 200 life points, Mimi Kaneko: 5400 life points."

Ruka knew her smile was mirroring Rua's, neither of them were the least bit worried about Ancient Sacred Wyvern, no matter how much power it had. "Here I go!" Rua drew his card. "Power Tool Dragon's effect!" Mimi gave him the card on the right. "I add another Deformer Counter to Deformer Clocken, and then I summon Deformer Magnen in defense position, and equip it with Mist Body!" Eyes opened wide at Rua's move, realization set in; with Magnen's defense effect forcing Mimi to attack it, and Mist Body's effect to prevent its destruction by battle, Rua had a nigh-unbreakable wall.

"Clever move Rua, but don't doubt that my deck has just the card to get around that one."

"Maybe, but you have to draw that card first, so I'll go ahead and switch Power Tool Dragon to defense and end my turn."

"Turn 12, Rua: 200 life points, Mimi Kaneko: 5400 life points."

Mimi drew her card, snorted. "I'll set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 13, Rua: 200 life points, Mimi Kaneko: 5400 life points."

Mimi tapped her foot impatiently as Rua drew his card. "I activate Power Tool Dragon's effect yet again." Mimi picked the card on the right. "Sorry Mimi, but it looks like you didn't get your card fast enough, 'cause now I'm going to equip Deformer Clocken with Ring of Magnetism, creating a perfect lock to keep you from attacking while I add another counter to Deformer Clocken." That made the third counter, just three more to go. "That's where I end my turn."

"Turn 14, Rua: 200 life points, Mimi Kaneko: 5400 life points."

Mimi drew her next card, fumed. "Well, at least I still get to activate my Solemn Wishes permanent trap card and recover 500 life points every time I draw a card." Ancient Sacred Wyvern grew yet larger and more powerful, yet it was nothing against the magnetic barrier before Rua's monsters. "So go ahead and take your turn already."

"Hold on, before we get to my turn, I activate my trap card, Deformer Mix-Up; since I control two or more Deformers, I designate two cards you control, and you pick one of them to be destroyed." Deformer Clocken jumped on top of Magnen, ready to be propelled by the magnetic force. "And I pick your Solemn Wishes and your face-down card."

"…The face-down card." The card was flipped over as Clocken smashed into it, My Body as a Shield. "You're not using destruction effects like you're supposed to, so why even keep it around?"

"Turn 15, Rua: 200 life points, Mimi Kaneko: 5900 life points."

Rua smirked, but kept silent as he drew his next card, activated Power Tool Dragon's effect once more. "I summon Deformer Chakken in defense and activate its effect to inflict 300 points of damage, and then I add a fourth counter to Deformer Clocken to end my turn…actually, I'm going to do one more thing; I equip Power Tool Dragon with Power Pickaxe, and activate its effect to remove the Granadora in your grave from play." Power Tool Dragon cracked the ground and absorbed Granadora's spirit into itself. "Now I end my turn."

"Turn 16, Rua: 200 life points, Mimi Kaneko: 5600 life points."

Mimi's nostrils flared. "You know, it's not good conduct to drag a duel out like this." Mimi practically ripped the next card from her deck, recovered another 500 life points from Solemn Wishes. "So you know what? I'll pay you back in kind, and summon Healing Wave Generator in defense, activating its effect to gain 100 life points for every level of one monster I control, or 700 for my level 7 Ancient Sacred Wyvern." Mimi crossed her arms under her chest. "Well? Go ahead, take your next turn."

"Turn 17, Rua: 200 life points, Mimi Kaneko: 6800 life points."

"All right, I'm adding a fifth counter to Clocken, adding another equip spell to my hand, and then I'm going to activate Gadget Box to special summon a Gadget Token to my side of the field; this way, I can activate Chakken's defense effect for 300 damage, and then I'll switch it to attack position to sacrifice my token and inflict another 600 damage; then, to wrap things up, I'm going to have Power Tool Dragon attack and destroy Healing Wave Generator and remove it from play." Power Tool Dragon slipped out of the magnetic barrier just long enough to attack, then retreated behind it before Ancient Sacred Wyvern could vent its fury. "Now I'm done."

"Turn 18, Rua: 200 life points, Mimi Kaneko: 5900 life points."

Mimi drew her next card, gaining 500 life points from Solemn Wishes. "Oh come on!" Mimi snarled. "Seriously, I draw this after you got rid of either of the monsters I was going to bring back?" Mimi fumed, and showed Rua her hand.

"Fairy Meteor Crush, and Monster Reborn." Rua read off for the crowd. "Those aren't bad cards at all."

"Yeah, but they're completely useless in this situation." Mimi looked away. "Just go ahead and take your turn, finish this thing already."

"Turn 19, Rua: 200 life points, Mimi Kaneko: 6400 life points."

"…Not with that attitude I'm not." Rua said, arms crossed over his chest.

"Excuse me?"

"Look, I used to be the biggest crybaby ever, sobbing my heart out every time I'd lost a duel; I cried back in our first duel, remember? But you know what I never did? I never looked away from my opponent, no matter what, and if you can't do the same for me, there's no way you'll ever be good enough to face Ruka, not even in a million billion years."

"…Yeesh, what's going on when you of all people can talk to me of all people like that?" She turned her head back to Rua. "Okay, you got me Rua." She faced him head-on, her posture one of power. "I'm going to beat you and Ruka one day, but for now, I'll be satisfied with being the third best duelist in Neo-Domino Middle School."

"Now that's the spirit! I special summon a Gadget Token with Gadget Box and sacrifice it with Chakken to inflict 600 points of damage, and then I add the sixth counter to Deformer Clocken, allowing me to sacrifice it and inflict 6000 points of damage to you, winning the game!" A huge explosion consumed Mimi's side of the field, and then the Solid vision constructs vanished, leaving nothing behind but them.

Then the bell rang. Everyone panicked and ran, leaving Rua and Ruka behind. "You did pretty good there Rua."

"Thanks, but I know I've still got a long way to go; no way it would have taken you even half that long to beat her."

"Maybe." Ruka laughed. "Now come on, let's go see Mr. Hikawa and see if we'll be able to go here for real."

"Right!"

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><p>"Sorry to have taken so much of your time, Vice Director Jaeger."<p>

"It was no trouble at all, Mr. Hikawa." Jaeger said. "Be sure to share the good news with the little ones as soon as possible." Jaeger hung up the phone on the peon, leaned back in his chair; it certainly was fortuitous that young Kaoru was stuck home with a cold, and thus did not accidentally encounter Ruka or Rua; Atsuko had insisted on public education, to make sure that their son would be able to interact with all his fellow citizens, but with this development, he now had no choice but to put his son in a private school. True, he could have opposed Ruka and Rua's application, but Godwin had made it very clear that the Signers were to believe they had freedom to move about as they desired, so there was nothing left to him but to face many nights alone on the couch when his wife found out.


	45. Chapter 45

**Picking up the Pieces**

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><p>"Officer Nagisa." Yusei said as the two of them stepped off the boat and onto the Satellite Docks. "What happened to Officer Kamui?" Nagisa's former partner, a traitor who'd sold them all out as part of Divine's plan to abduct Ruka.<p>

"Kamui was sentenced to ten years in the Detention Center, after which he is to be reassigned to working with the gangs here in the Satellite." Yusei looked Nagisa in the eye, showing her that he'd read between the lines. "However, every time I've tried to visit him at the Detention Center, I was informed that he was unavailable for one reason or another." She looked down. "Furthermore, while his cell is listed, there is no record of his transfer to that cell."

They walked down the road together. "Kamui was killed, wasn't he?"

"At Godwin's hand in all likelihood." Nagisa kept looking straight forward. "He'd told me certain things about the Arcadia Movement before the attack on it, said that he'd gotten that information from his interrogation."

"He'd hoped you would be sated by that and move on." Yusei kept his eyes out, looked at the people looking down over at them from the windows up above. "So what will you do?"

"Obviously, I am going to go to the head of the Public Maintenance Bureau to report my suspicions, Director Godwin will initiate an investigation, and if incriminating evidence is found, he will remove himself from his as the head of the Public Maintenance Bureau." Nagisa's nostrils flared, then coughed, nearly wretched. "I am in no more position to take on Godwin than you are in a position to cleanse the air here."

Yusei dwelled on that equivocation between Godwin and the polluted air, between the man and the order that he'd imposed on the world. Godwin had told him and the other Signers that once the Fifth Dragon and its associated Signer was located they would all be summoned to properly activate the Momentum system and realize the infinite energy potential it had; with that level of power, the Satellite could be restored at virtually no expense…but would it be? Would Godwin find one reason or another to say that the Satellite had to remain as it was, for the continued good of Neo-Domino City? According to the story that Godwin had told them, the exploitation of the Satellite was the product of tragedy, a necessity he abhorred, but that was according to him; Yusei wondered what his father Yuu would have said had he survived, what his mother Miyuki would have said if she hadn't fled the city, left him in Martha's care…yes, she'd fled because she didn't want Godwin to find her or him, she who knew the truth of what had happened on the day of Zero Reverse, he only an infant to be used against his own mother. No, even with his options limited as they were, he would stand against Godwin at the last, and so would the others who held no love for Godwin and his order.

"Yusei!" He looked up, saw Nagisa interposing herself between him and…

"Taka, Nerve, Blitz?" He just…looked at them; the last time he'd seen them was when he'd left the Satellite over their objections. He hadn't seen them when he'd returned to the Satellite, returned to Martha's.

"There you are."

"You were looking for me?"

"You know these people." Nagisa stepped back, though her hand hovered over the stun gun in her holster.

Yusei looked his old friends in the eye. "Sorry about last time." Taka said, scratching the back of his neck. "By the time we'd found out you and Jack had come back and we managed to get out off from work, you'd already left."

"And then it took us forever to get Martha to let us go." Nerve tugged down on his blue bandanna, which looked much cleaner than before.

"I'm not surprised." Blitz blinked, adjusted his glasses. "Yes?"

"You smiled." Yusei felt at the corner of his mouth, found that it had pulled itself up. "You know how long it's been."

"I've been through a lot since then." Yusei said. "But you were right Blitz; the way I was going about it, I was going to get killed."

"So, you going to tell us the whole story then?" Taka said. "Martha said it was for you to tell."

Yusei felt his smile grow; Martha had had every confidence that he would return, that he would survive to do so. "Of course."

They walked along, and Yusei shared everything that had happened from the time he'd reached the tunnel connecting the Satellite and Neo-Domino City. They'd grilled him on everything he saw in the city, the people, the places, the food and drink, and when he said that he'd spent the majority of his time in Ruka and Rua's apartment, they hammered him with questions about the twins.

"Come on guys." Yusei said when he found breathing room. "Could you at least tell me what you've been doing this whole time?"

Nerve shrugged. "I hate to tell you this Yusei, but outside that incident with the Rabid Weasels, things here have been the way they've always been."

"Keep our heads down, our mouths shut, and put what passes for food on our tables." Taka said, looking at Officer Nagisa a moment.

"Excitement and adventure just isn't for us Yusei." Blitz sighed. "Neither is ease or comfort."

Yusei and the rest of the party walked in silence from that point on until Yusei stood in front of Martha's home once more; most of the damage done in the attack had been repaired, and what remained was being worked on at that very moment. "Yusei!" He looked up to the roof, saw Brittney up there hammering down panels. "Oh man, you really came back!" Brittney crawled her way over to a nearby ladder. "Wait right there!"

"I'm not going anywhere." Yusei felt his chest become tight, remembered the last time it had happened; it was when he'd returned to Ruka and Rua after Godwin had found him and blackmailed him into participating in the Fortune Cup tournament.

"That's definitely true." The moment Brittney touched ground, the door opened to reveal a brown-haired man leaning against the doorway, a blank expression on his face.

"Robert." Robert Axelrod, a man who's little brother had been killed by Kiryu, and with Kiryu long gone, he'd sought revenge against Yusei. "How's your wound?" Robert had set up a death trap for the both of them, unable to see any meaning to his life past his revenge.

"It aches, but Martha did a good job patching me up like one of her quilts." Robert stepped out of the doorway and ambled his way to Yusei. "So…word out there is that you saved the Black Rose Witch, turned her into a good little girl."

"Nothing of the sort." Yusei said, his voice almost sharp enough to cut into Robert's skin.

"Trust me, I don't believe that load of shit either; after all, it's not like you turned me into a contented citizen eager to greet the new day ahead of him." All the young people in the house filed out, and then Martha herself came out. "Ugh…look, regardless of what happened, point is you've moved on and done shit, while I've been stuck here wallowing, trying to figure out what the point of you saving me was."

"And what do you think?"

Robert smirked. "I think the only way I'm going to figure it out is if I use this." He took out a card from his pocket, presented its back to Yusei.

"Your little brother's?"

Robert nodded. "You used that card that Rally gave you…I want to see if Rodney's might come through for me the same way."

"Then let's find out." Yusei took a moment to look over to Martha, they nodded at each other. He repeated that action with Officer Nagisa, and she moved over to stand with Martha as he and Robert shuffled their decks, slotted them into their duel discs; Robert adjusted his posture to compensate for his injury and so they drew their cards. "I'll go first." Yusei drew his next card. "I summon Shield Warrior in defense, and set two cards to end my turn."

"Turn 2, Yusei Fudou: 4000 life points, Robert Axelrod: 4000 life points."

"I see your deck hasn't changed that much since the last time; I'll bet anything your face-down cards are for when your monster gets destroyed, probably to draw cards or search for something from your deck." Robert drew his card. "So as long as I can keep my cards safe, I'm not worried at all." Robert studied his hand. "I activate Machine Assembly Line, and summon Genex Searcher." There was a loud clatter as Robert's monster fell to the field, slowly and ungainly picked itself up off the ground; it was a cluttered and only generously humanoid cobbling of mechanical pieces. "With Machine Assembly's effect, Genex Searcher's attack power rises from 1600 to 1800, which allows me to attack and destroy your Shield Warrior." Genex Searcher extended its arms out and spun them around its body in a high-speed blur and rushed into Shield Warrior, crashing into it again and again until Shield Warrior was no more.

"And now that you've destroyed my monster, I activate my trap card Soul Rope, paying 1000 life points to special summon Road Synchron from my deck, and then I activate Reinforce Truth to special summon Speed Warrior from my deck." Yusei's monsters gathered on the field to the cheers and hollers of the gathered crowd.

"Good move, very good move Yusei; I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 3, Yusei Fudou: 3000 life points, Robert Axelrod: 4000 life points."

Yusei drew his next card, added it to his hand. "I summon Shield Wing to the field," a skinny green dragon with broad white wings, the insides leathery the outsides covered in diamond hard scales, "and then I tune it and Speed Warrior to Road Synchron." 4 rings, 4 stars. "Gathering hopes will evoke a new horizon! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Dash onward, Road Warrior!" The golden-armor clad warrior flew down onto the field, towering over all. "I now activate Road Warrior's effect and special summon Quillbolt Hedgehog from my deck in defense position, and then I'll attack Genex Searcher." Road Warrior swept its arm out and smashed Genex Searcher into the ground for 1200 points of damage.

"And now Machine Assembly Line will have two Junk Counters placed on it, while Genex Searcher's effect allows me to special summon a Genex Monster from my deck with 1500 attack points or less in attack position; assemble, Genex Controller!" There was whirring sound as Robert's next monster wheeled out in front of him, peering up at Yusei and his monsters with what Yusei could only call a shy curiosity. "You knew that was going to happen of course, that was why you'd summoned your other monster in defense."

"It was going to be that or your face-down card." Yusei let out a small laugh. "I end my turn."

"Turn 4, Yusei Fudou: 3000 life points, Robert Axelrod: 2800 life points."

Robert drew his next card. "I activate my field spell card, Burning Burial Grounds." Yusei felt heat from the soles of his feet, but nothing changed that he could see. "So long as this card is in play, all monsters in the grave are considered Fire Monsters. Then, because I control Genex Controller, I can summon Genex Furnace without sacrifice." There was a clang as Robert's new monster opened the door on its chest, revealing a red fire overflowing its boundaries. "And now I tune my Genex Furnace to Genex Controller." 3 rings, 5 stars. "The unquenchable flame, the raining coals of memory, use that power! Synchro Summon! Appear, Thermal Genex!" Robert's monster shot jets of blue fire from out of every available hole as it hovered over everyone, its eyes looming down at Yusei's monsters. "For every Fire Monster in my grave, Thermal Genex gains 200 attack points, and with Machine Assembly Line's effect, that raises Thermal Genex from 2400 to 3200." Yusei's Road Warrior moved back away from the aura of heat that Thermal Genex emanated. "Then, I activate my face-down card, Perfect Metalmorph."

Thermal Genex's dark frame became covered in smooth silver, reflecting the light of its own fire, blinding all witnesses to its power; even so, Yusei saw the awe in Robert's eyes. "So this was the card your brother found."

Robert smiled a smile that threatened to split his face in half. "I knew you'd realize it Yusei, and what's more, you won't be able to destroy it with that card like last time." They both saw it in their mind's eyes, One-Shot Cannon destroying Infernity Killer. "When equipped to a level-8 or higher Machine Monster, Perfect Metalmorph negates any monster effects that target the monster it is equipped to, and that's not all." Thermal Genex turned in place to look down at Quillbolt Hedgehog. "The monster that is equipped with Perfect Metalmorph can penetrate defense, and when Thermal Genex destroys a monster by battle, you take 200 points of damage for every Genex monster in my grave, which all together will come down to…"

"3000 damage." Yusei smiled as that Thermal Genex shot out white hot flames at his monster. "However, you know that by removing Shield Warrior in the grave from play, I can prevent my monster from being destroyed in battle."

"Heh, you're absolutely right Yusei." With only the battle damage done, Yusei still had 600 life points left. "However, the final effect of Perfect Metalmorph comes into play when battle damage is done through its effect, allowing me to draw one card." Robert drew the card. "This is where I stand Yusei, this is my response to everything that has happened, so I'll set this one card and bear witness to yours."

"Turn 5, Yusei Fudou: 600 life points, Robert Axelrod: 2800 life points."

Yusei turned his head to look at everyone, his friends, Martha. He drew his card. "I summon Drill Synchron." A small, spherical robot with tank treads and three drills coming up out of it. "Then I activate Road Warrior's effect to special summon Tuning Supporter from my deck, and activate Machine Duplication to special summon a second Tuning Supporter from my deck." Now Yusei's field was filled with the pieces he needed. "I now tune both Tuning Supporters to my Drill Synchron." 3 rings, 3 stars. "Gathering power will turn into a spear that pierces the earth! Become the path it's light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Break it apart, Drill Warrior!" A warrior in brown armor and a massive drill equipped on the right arm appeared. "I draw two cards in accordance with the effect of my two Tuning Supporters." Yusei took his cards, felt the pulse in the second one. "Since I normal summoned this turn, I can now special summon One-Shot Booster." Rally's monster joined his, serving as his ally once again. "By cutting Drill Warrior's attack power in half in the main phase, it can attack directly, and before that attack, I equip Drill Warrior with United We Stand, increasing its attack power by 800 for every monster I control." Energy flowed from Road Warrior, Quillbolt Hedgehog, and One-Shot Booster into Drill Warrior, allowing it to bore into the molten hot ground as fast as light itself. Robert had no time to react before Drill Warrior emerged and tapped the drill against his chest.

"Heh, even now you're careful not to aggravate my injury." Robert said as the 4400 points of direct damage registered on his duel disc, signaling his defeat as he collapsed onto one knee. "And of course, the moment I try to protect my monster," Robert took out the card he'd set in the previous turn, Power Frame, "You have to go and bypass it entirely; goes to show you really have changed."

"So have you." Yusei walked forward and extended his hand. "I'd never met your brother, but I think he would have been proud of how you handled this duel."

"He'd probably prefer I win, but at least I protected the monster he died for." Robert picked the card in question up off his Duel Disc. "Isn't it absurd? A little piece of cardboard and it makes this big a difference."

"It's not the card, but the dream it carries with it, the dream your brother put into it." Yusei took out his Stardust Dragon. "Trust me, I know what it's like to lose that."

Silence. Martha walked up to them and put her hands on their shoulders. "All right you two, time to come inside; everyone else, back to work!"

There was much feigned grumbling, but the gathered young people resumed their work with all due haste, leaving Officer Nagisa by herself. She rejoined Yusei, Robert, and Martha. "A duel like that…" Nagisa smiled and shook her head, and walked inside the house. Yusei and the others followed.

* * *

><p>Rex Godwin marked off the last of Divine's safe-houses on his map. "There must be another one I do not know about." Rex said to himself; ever since the attack on the Aracadia Movement HQ he'd been searching for the location of the Fifth Dragon, and despite how small a thing a card was, there were still only so many places one could hide such a thing, especially with the resources available to him. "Otherwise, Divine has someone holding onto the card for him, moving around to avoid discovery." Godwin knew better than to discount such a possibility, but every member of the Arcadia Movement was accounted for and in custody, their decks confiscated and stored securely on a separate level from their holding cells. So what was he missing?<p>

Godwin took out the photo of him, Rudger, Yuu, and Miyuki. He smiled. "Don't worry, I will pick up the pieces and fulfill our dream, no matter what."


	46. Chapter 46

**The Seed Planted in the Wasteland**

* * *

><p>Aki Izayoi felt her legs burning, her chest burning, her arms hanging limp at her side, but still she kept walking, still she kept moving forward. Her feet sunk into the sand with every step she took, nothing of substance to support her body's weight. It had taken her off guard the first time she'd set foot on that pale gray dust, but she'd kept her balance, adjusted to that new equilibrium, and kept walking. Neo-Domino City was below the horizon, the vast farm fields surrounding Neo-Domino City were likewise below the horizon, but still Aki kept moving forward through the empty landscape. The wind blew, kicking up dust-devils, but for all that the land shifted, it all looked the same to Aki.<p>

"You still going to keep going?" The Security Officer behind Aki spoke; his name was Tetsu Ushio, a man in his fifties, his face heavily scarred like he'd been on the losing end of an argument with a mechanical tiller. He'd been sent after her to keep an eye on her, to signal his master if they needed to forcibly retrieve her. "You've been at this for days, even you have to admit there's nothing out here." Aki ignored him; he was simply trying to fill the empty silence of the wind around them. "I'm the only thing around for you to destroy, and you haven't tried, so what are you playing at, Witch?"

Aki tightened her fist, but kept going, kept looking forward. "I am not playing at anything." Her voice was thin and raspy; her water had run out the day before, her throat scratched if she breathed too hard, spoke too loud. "I need to find my answer out here, alone; I've tolerated your presence so far, but I can deal with you without destroying you if I have to."

"Bullshit; the only thing your power can do is kill and ruin lives, lives like Naru Yamashita's."

Aki's legs continued to move out of a perverse sense of inertia, but her mind was not there. She was standing in an alleyway, a horribly burned and mangled body below her, half-crushed by rubble. Stitching appeared on the body, and the skin changed at every boundary like some demented human quilt, a patch-work doll. "It's beautiful."

Aki stopped, whipped around, glared into Ushio's eyes through his sunglasses. "What would you know?"

"Know about what?" The expression on his face, the tone of his voice, Aki turned back around and resumed her march.

"No one could do what you did." Aki's eyes darted left and right. "You alone had the power to make my dreams come true."

"Shut up." Aki forced down the heat that threatened to creep into her cheeks, denied the tightness in her heart as her vision became hazy.

"Don't worry Aki, I forgive you." Aki halted at the sight of the man before her, the man who could not be standing there at all. "You are only human, and so you have erred, but that is fine; you can still continue my work Aki, you can still have your revenge." Now Divine was holding that body in his arms, the tribute to the many that she'd killed as the Black Rose Witch.

"No, I won't!" She screamed out in defiance of the yes that had been creeping up her throat. "You lied to me, used me, why should I do anything you want at all?!"

Divine simply smiled, calm and patient as always. "Because that is what your power is for Aki; you are a destroyer, and I am the one who guides your hand."

Aki's shriek was incoherent as the sand kicked up around her body, sparks shot out and the air cracked with the sound of a thousand whips. "Izayoi!" She heard Ushio yell at the top of his lungs, the voice distant and faint as she collapsed down onto her face.

Aki felt it, something was draped over her body, something rough and coarse, and very warm. There was a diffuse light, an electric light, nothing at all like the sun behind clouds. She moved her arms, felt a tug; she opened her eyes and saw an intravenous feed to her left hooked to her left arm, and to her right a device unlike any she'd ever seen before hooked to her right arm. "I know dear, but that blanket was the only one I had to spare." She sat up and looked over at the woman who'd spoken; she stared at the specter of her mother until it faded away, revealing an entirely different woman…no, they were similar in their age, but that was it; her eyes were closed in a serene expression, while her hair was brown and streaked with white, drawn in a bun that stuck up in the back. "Your clothes should be clean and dry soon." Yes, now that she listened for it, she could hear the sound of a dryer shaking, though she could not see it; the room was small and simple; there was the mattress she'd been laid down on, the lamp in the corner, the woman in the chair, a desk, and a shelf with some books, only the devices attached to her arms stood out.

"Wh…how did I get here?" Aki rubbed her temples; where even was here? Where could here, in the midst of that unceasing, unending, unchanging wasteland, be?

"The Security Officer, Tetsu Ushio, he was carrying you, screaming his head off for help; by the time we got to him, he was half dead from your power…I imagine it was your power, sparks were raining off your body and into his."

"That was my power." Aki looked down at herself, at her arm, at her Dragon Birthmark, at the wires hooked right into it. "You have no idea the power of this mark, how it's ruined my life."

The woman opened her eyes, revealing blue eyes that belonged on someone three times her age. "Your predecessor was a vigilante, and it took us a great deal of effort to keep her from running and using her newly acquired powers to destroy everyone she blamed for the injustices of the world." The woman sighed. "Of course, on Zero Reverse, she and the rest of the Signers we'd gathered all died, their cards scattered on the winds of fate."

Aki's eyes widened. "What do you mean? Who are you?" Aki raised her sheets defensively, covering herself before the unknown woman.

The woman paused, looked Aki in the eye. "I was a member of the M.I.D.S. research team, along with my husband and our friends Rex and Ruger."

"Rex? As in Rex Godwin?" Aki looked into the woman's eyes, recognized them. "You…I've met someone like you, in Neo-Domino City."

"You have?" The woman's tone was apprehensive.

"A young man, around my age, with eyes that have seen a great deal of suffering, pain that he could do nothing about." Aki took a deep breath. "Your surname is Fudou, isn't it?"

The woman nodded. "I am Miyuki Fudou, and I take it you're talking about my son, Yusei." Aki nodded. "There…there are so many things I could ask, but in truth, until I can ask Yusei himself, I won't be ready for the answers."

"Then if you don't mind, I have some questions of my own." A great many questions; Aki meditated a moment, gathered her thoughts and ordered her concerns. "To begin with, where are we, and what is this device hooked to my arm?"

Miyuki smiled. "You're in my house in Rashoman Village, and that inhibitor was one that I'd created for your predecessor…or to be more accurate, it is a replica that I'd put together on very short notice, but with everything I've learned about Momentum in the past eighteen years, it seems that I was able to make up the difference in resources and time available to me."

"You made this while I was unconscious? How long was I out for?"

"Now? About three days." Miyuki rubbed at her face, indicating the rings under her eyes. "Really though, I had the inhibitor finished on the second day; the real trouble was keeping your power from lashing out while I attached the inhibitor, and I had to act fast before your power destroyed your body; fortunately, Officer Ushio offered to act as a sort of lightning rod for your power, and so everything worked out as well as it could have."

"I see." Aki sat in silence, closed her eyes. "If I may be honest, I would rather you not have gone through the trouble." Aki felt Miyuki's hand on hers, she kept her eyes closed. "I left the city so that I would be alone, so that I would be on my own, that I would have no one but myself to turn to in my efforts to control my power. That I had to be rescued like this…"

"Is something that we all need from time to time." Aki heard Miyuki's soft laugh, opened her eyes once more. "When I'd left the city for the first time in my life, I'd entered a world that exceeded my imagination; before Zero Reverse I had never known suffering or sorrow, I had never known want in any regard. I'd told myself, told my friend Martha that I was going out into the world to help those in need, but the reality of it all threatened to drown me. Fortunately, like you, I'd stumbled my way onto people who could help me." She smiled and closed her eyes. "Many of them were people I'd known from my work with them, while others I'd only heard about, and others still I'd met for the first time, but all of them shared my goal, my dream."

"Your goal…that's definitely a difference between you and me…" Aki sighed, looked down at her hands.

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to." Miyuki put her hand Aki's. "Maybe if I show you around, see what we've managed to accomplish, you might get a new perspective." There was a loud buzz from outside the room. "And it would seem that your clothes have finished drying."

"…I suppose I should then."

"Very good." Aki watched Miyuki get up, head for the door. "Izayoi." Miyuki turned around. "My name is Aki Izayoi, in case Officer Ushio didn't say it before."

"He hadn't; he just kept calling you the Black Rose Witch." Miyuki left the room and closed the door behind her. Aki waited for her to get back with her clothes, and when she did, she got dressed; she tensed her arm as she removed the inhibitor, and as she expected, her power started welling up again now that it no longer had a sink to fill. "I see, you filled it up by that much." Miyuki said as she examined the inhibitor. Any further thoughts on the matter were kept to herself, and the two women stepped out into the village proper.

Aki brought her hand over her eyes, the sunlight dwarfing the electric light that her eyes had accustomed themselves to. She heard people, men women and children, but couldn't make out any faces. They were moving in closer, she could feel the weight of them all around her. "Are you okay, young lady?" It was a scratchy voice, the speaker hacked and coughed. Aki's vision settled into focus in time for her to see two pairs of small, cubby hands tugging at the old woman's clothes. "Don't fuss, you'll make our guest worry."

"Sorry Grandma." The two children said in time, their voices identical; Aki's eyes were fully adjusted, and so she could see that they were identical twins, or near enough that she could see no difference; not like with Rua and Ruka, even if one were disguised as the other Aki was certain she could tell the difference at a glance.

"It's no matter, your health is much more important than I am." Everything was much more important than her. She looked away from the old woman and her grandchildren, only to encounter a pair of brash young eyes on a boy a year or two younger than herself.

"Don't be modest, lady; you're from the city, that makes you way important to us here in the sticks."

"Dave, don't." Another young boy put his hand on the brash-eyed boy's shoulder; Dave's friend had a short tangled afro of red hair, and the interplay between him and Dave seemed familiar.

"If I could just take a look around the village?" The crowd parted, allowing Aki to get a good look at their homes, and her eyes widened at what appeared to be a small-scale version of Neo-Domino City. She walked around, the crowd following her. She reached the fields, and again it was as though they had taken a copy of the fields around Neo-Domino City, and shrunk it down before copying it. Then Aki found a device in the center of Rashomon Village, and even though she'd never personally seen the original, she knew this for what it was. "You have a Momentum Generator?" Aki turned to Miyuki.

"You bet." Aki heard a man in his mid-twenties speak. "Before Mrs. Fudou came to our village about…three or four years ago now, we were barely scraping by, every little thing had to be rationed out and we even had to be careful about how many kids we had; nowadays…" The man chuckled, and gestured to the woman next to him, heavy with child.

"Sometimes I have to remind this lunkhead of mine that I can still work." The two laughed and looked one another in the eye. Aki turned back to the Momentum Generator, walked towards it; she heard something, felt something pulling inside her body, urging her onwards. She raised her hand to it, touched it, fell to her knees.

Aki seethed, felt her power raging in her body, felt it spilling out, cracking the road; just over the hum in her ears she heard Miyuki yelling something, the sounds of feet running away. She was not surprised, it was inevitable, her power could not be denied. "You see Aki, you do understand." She saw Divine's face in that column of energy. "To escape your cursed fate, you must destroy everything without exception, so that I may create the world that you can live in."

Aki gazed into Divine's eyes, watched them and him disappear as someone touched her arm. She whipped her head around, dropped her jaw at how Miyuki was gripping her arm, her Dragon Birthmark. "What are you doing?" Did she have any idea at all? Didn't she listen to her at all? If other people had to suffer to keep her power at bay, than how was she not the Black Rose Witch after all?

"Aki, listen." Miyuki reached into her coat pocket with her free hand. "There's a difference between trying to solve your problems on your own, and trying to run away from them." Miyuki produced some cards from her pocket. "I've never dueled before, but I've watched it plenty of times in my research, so when I say that you can use these cards to help yourself…"

What was she…who could possibly…

"Damn Witch." Aki looked up, saw Ushio walking down the street towards her. "You're making this job real difficult, you know that right?" He let out a growling sigh. "This place might be out of my jurisdiction, but there's no way in hell I'm letting you do to it, what you did to Neo-Domino City!"

"Miyuki." Aki looked her in the eyes, accepted the cards. "Stand back."

"You ready Witch? 'Cause the moment I beat you, I'm dragging you back to Neo-Domino City, and I don't give two shits about whether or not Godwin's called for us yet."

"No, I will not be taken back, not before I find my answer." Aki went over her deck in less than a second, swapping cards in and out with practiced hands. "I will hold my ground here." She inserted her deck into her duel disc, waited for it to shuffle her cards, and drew for her first turn. "I summon Ivy Wall in defense, and set one card to end my turn."

"Turn 2, Aki Izayoi: 4000 life points, Tetsu Ushio: 4000 life points."

"Ivy Wall, summons an Ivy Token to my side of the field if I attack it, and that face-down of yours, it's probably Rose Flame or the like." Ushio grinned, a horrible expression with the condition his face was in. "I made sure I studied up on every single one of your duels, and so I prepared this deck for you." Ushio drew his next card. "And of course, I made sure that Naru Yamashita's spirit would be in this deck, so I'll be summoning Laval Magma Cannoneer." A squat, purple rocky creature appeared in front of Ushio, a massive pair of cannons hanging over its shoulders. "Twice per turn, I can send a Fire Monster from my hand to the grave to inflict 500 points of damage onto you, so first I'll send Kayenn the Master Magma Black Smith to the grave." The cannon over the left shoulder glowed a dull red, and then exploded brighter than the sun, enveloping Aki's entire body. She did not move, she was not moved. "And now, by removing Kayenn in my grave from play, I can increase the attack power of all Laval monsters I control by 400 points, permanently!" A stocky blacksmith with a hammer of magma appeared, and smashed that hammer into Cannoneer's body, infusing it with its strength. "Now, I'll send Laval Phologis to the grave for another 500 points of damage, and when sent to the grave Phlogis gives my Laval monsters an additional 300 attack points." Another explosion rocked Aki's body, and more lava coated the body of Ushio's monster, bringing its total attack power to 2400. "And now I will set one card and end my turn."

Turn 3, Aki Izayoi: 3000 life points, Tetsu Ushio: 4000 life points."

"I see." Aki drew her card. "You think you can avoid my strategy by refusing to attack my monsters. But, that has a price all its own; I activate the Field Spell Card, Black Garden." The two were encased in a very solid, very real cage of thorns; cracks started to form in the ground, then stopped as Aki glared at them. "Now, I summon Copy Plant, and in so doing activate Black Garden's effect to special summon a Rose token to your side of the field, which in turn allows me to activate my Permanent Trap Card, Rose Flame." The Rose Token bloomed on Ushio's side of the field, burning rose petals gathered around his body.

"Heh, nice try Witch, but you'll have to do better than that; activate Counter Trap Card, Burgeoning Whirlflame." Fire spiraled out from Ushio's body, smothering Aki's fire. "When you activate a trap card, I can send a Laval monster from my hand to the grave to negate and destroy that trap card." The fire whipped out and burned up Rose Flame into ashes. "Now, the card I'd sent to the grave was Laval Volcano Handmaiden, and when sent to the grave while I already have a Laval monster of a different name in the grave, I get to send another Laval monster from my deck to the grave, and so I'll go ahead and send another Volcano Handmaiden to the grave, and use that effect to send my third Handmaiden to the grave, and that last one sends Laval Lakeside Lady to the grave."

Aki swept her arm out, driving the flames at bay. "You would burn through your deck just to stop one card."

"I'd burn every card I've got if it meant stopping you, keeping you from getting away with destroying everything like I should have done back then."

"Back then…" Realization struck Aki, connections forged themselves in her mind. "You were assigned to protect Naru Yamashita."

"That's right, and she only got away from me because I was careless, and that's not going to happen again."

"I see." Failure, the brand of failure burned into both their skins. "I activate Copy Plant's effect and copy Laval Magma Cannoneer's level." Copy Plant shined with the light of four stars. "Thus, I now tune Ivy Wall to Copy Plant." Four rings, two stars. "Fire that burns deep underground, emerge now the true power of life. Synchro Summon! Appear, Burning Root Witch!" The effigy was wrapped in vines, brought down low with its power used to create another Rose Token on Ushio's side of the field. "Now, I forgo attacking with Burning Root Witch, and destroy all other Plant Monsters on the field for 600 damage each." Whips of white fire lashed out and burned Ushio's Rose Tokens into dust, inflicting 1200 points of damage. The fire gathered onto Ushio's chest, forcing him to put it out with his arms. "Even with all your effort, you will not deny my power." No one could, her power's grip on her soul could not be loosed. "I end my turn."

"Turn 3, Aki Izayoi: 3000 life points, Tetsu Ushio: 2800 life points."

"Neither of us attacking, just going straight for the kill..." Ushio shook his head. "Something in me deep down really likes this." Ushio drew his card, looked at it. "Looks like my deck likes this too; I activate Pot of Avarice and return all five monsters in my grave back to my deck and draw two cards." His fingers danced before taking his new cards from the deck. "There we go, I'll send Laval Coatl and Laval Burner to my grave to inflict another 1000 points of damage to you," Twin columns of fire slammed down onto Aki, burning holes in the ceiling of the Black Garden, the damage healing almost instantly, "and then I'll remove them from play to add Burgeoning Whirlflame back to my hand and set it back on the field to end my turn."

"Turn 4, Aki Izayoi: 2000 life points, Tetsu Ushio: 2800 life points."

Aki drew her next card, looked Ushio over. "Nothing but a dog sent out by its master to hunt down a witch…" Aki looked down at the ground.

"Hey, don't you dare call me a dog!" Ushio said, face scrunched up. "Yeah, maybe I didn't come from the best part of town, maybe there was a time when I was a punk, strong enough to do whatever the hell I wanted and get away with it…" Ushio scratched his head, frowned. "Point is, when Domino City exploded and Godwin set up Neo-Domino City in its place, my head got snapped into place for the first time, so no matter what else I might be, I'm an officer of the law and I'm going to protect these people from threats like you no matter what, you got that?!"

"You want to protect them?" Aki seethed. "You brought me here to them, knowing damn well how dangerous I was." She picked out the card from her hand. "No, you're just like me." She summoned Seed of Flame, the Black Garden summoned a Rose Token to Ushio's side of the field. "You will be consumed in my flames, the same as me!" Yes, there was no escape, she saw Divine's nod as he smiled at her. "I activate Burning Root Witch's effect, and destroy all other Plant Monsters on the field." Twin whips of white fire, one slammed down upon Aki's Seed of Flame, she felt the sear of her own heat on her skin, even as all the damage registered for Ushio. "Now that Seed of Flame has been destroyed by a card effect, it's effect activates, special summoning a level-4 or lower Plant-Type monster from my grave while special summoning a Seed Token to your side of the field in defense." Aki had of course chosen Copy Plant as her monster, and with the two special summons, two more Rose Tokens appeared; their monsters were sustenance to the Black Garden, tributes to that prison of thorns. Hungry and unrelenting… "I tune Burning Root Witch to Copy Plant." One ring, six stars. "Chilling Flames Engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!" Yes, even the Dragon that embodied the power of her mark, it too would submit to the power of the Black Garden.

"So this is it huh? Not gonna bother to run and hide from the Witch that you really are?" His face…the hell was with his face? He wasn't smug, he wasn't grinning…

"I activate Black Rose Dragon's effect, and remove Copy Plant in my grave from play to switch Seed Token to attack position, and reduce its attack power to zero, and then I have Rose Token attack it!" The wind picked up, tearing the Rose Token's petals off and using them to shred apart the Seed Token for 800 points of damage. "Now, Black Rose Dragon will attack your second Rose Token." Against that breath weapon, the Rose Token wilted and faded away. "Now, I'll set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 6, Aki Izayoi: 2000 life points, Tetsu Ushio: 400 life points."

"Feh, you certainly don't pull your punches, do you?" Ushio hacked, dropped to one knee. "Good thing I don't either." Ushio drew his next card. "I'll start by activating Consuming Laval Extract; when I control a Laval monster, I can send one face-down spell or trap to destroy one face-up spell or trap you control, and then draw one card; therefore, I'm getting rid of this Black Garden of yours!" Heavy streams of magma spewed out of the ground, coating the Black Garden and collapsing the vines, melting them into black sludge. There was nothing between Aki and the crowd watching, waiting. "Next, I sacrifice Laval Magma Cannoneer and my remaining Rose Token to summon Laval Judgment Lord!" An indistinct figure stood behind a haze of fire, red cloth trailing from the waist and the shoulders. "By forgoing my attack, Laval Judgment Lord can remove a Laval monster in the grave from play to inflict 1000 damage onto you." Ushio's monster raised a mighty fist, and punched a pillar of fire into into Aki's body. "And now, I activate the Spell Card, Destruction Seal!" A soft golden light enveloped the both of them. "When I have fewer life points than my opponent, by paying half my life points, until my next end phase, cards on the field can't be destroyed! So take your turn, Witch, and then we're getting out of here!"

"Turn 7, Aki Izayoi: 1000 life points, Tetsu Ushio: 200 life points."

Aki's eyes were wide open; Ushio was prepared. Everything about her deck was predicated on destruction, everything was built on eliminating everything she summoned to the field. Her power was useless now. On the next turn he was going to activate Laval Judgment Lord's effect, and finish the duel. She looked away, caught Miyuki's eyes; the older woman glared at her with reproach in those eyes, and Aki remembered the cards she was given. "My turn." She drew her next card slowly. "First, I activate my face-down Cursed Ivy, special summoning my Ivy Wall back from the grave, and then I activate Magic Planter, sending Cursed Ivy to the grave to draw two cards." The loss of Cursed Ivy should have destroyed Ivy Wall, but Destruction Seal was as powerful as Ushio had said it was; still, the two Ivy tokens were summoned to Ushio's side of the field, triggered by Cursed Ivy being sent, not destroyed. Aki then drew her cards, and stared at them.

"Go on, make your move, or is the Black Rose Witch really that helpless."

Aki closed her eyes. "No, she isn't." She saw Divine in her mind's eye. "I can survive without destroying, I can find my path through the wasteland!" Aki snapped her eyes open, banishing Divine's presence from her mind. "I summon Desert Bloom." A cactus sprouted, a small pink flower emerging from the crown of that spiked plant. "When summoned, for every Plant Type monster on the field, I can grant one monster I control an additional 400 attack points until the end phase; there are five plant monsters on the field," Desert Bloom, Ivy Wall, Rose Token, and two Ivy Tokens, so I grant Black Rose Dragon an additional 2000 attack points." Black Rose Dragon arose, swept its wings out, and roared, the strength drained by Black Garden and then increased for a total attack power of 3200. "Your monster can't be destroyed by battle, but battle damage will still happen." Black Rose Dragon attacked, and as it did, Aki gripped down on her power, held onto it as Black Rose Dragon unleashed its breath weapon onto Laval Judgment Lord, and once the attack was done, she shot that power up into the air, a crack like thunder echoing high above them all.

Aki fell to her knees, panting, gasping, breathing heavily. "I knew you could do it Aki." Miyuki broke from the crowd, put her hand on Aki's shoulder. "And thank you, Officer Ushio." She said, looking over at the wounded man.

"Eh, you made a convincing argument." Ushio said before he noticed a group of children moving in towards him. "Just…doing my job, that's all." The kids then swamped him, asking him how to be as brave as he was.

"You set this up." Aki looked up at Miyuki. "You knew…"

"Your predecessor wasn't the only person who was difficult to instruct, to teach and guide; I hope you can forgive me for taking such a risk with your wellbeing."

Aki's breathing steadied as she took in one last gasp of air. "I think…I could stand for my next lesson to be a little more open." Aki smiled, and Miyuki smiled in return, and the crowd embraced them all.

* * *

><p>The cloaked figure walked down the hallway, past the bodies of the fallen security guards. The figure stopped at the door at the end of the hall, looked down at bodies next to that door, and lifted one up. The figure pressed the officer's eye against the retinal scanner, waited for the device to register a valid match, then dropped the body back down. The cloaked figure lifted up a second body, took the glove off its hand, and pressed the palm against the fingerprint scanner. Upon confirmation, the cloaked figure abandoned the second body and took up the third and final body, pricking its finger on the DNA scanner and squeezing the blood out to be analyzed. The door opened, the cloaked figure walked in. Divine's body rested on its bed, hooked up to medical equipment displaying every detail of his vital stats and condition from moment to moment. The cloaked figure stood over Divine's body, extended a hand over Divine's heart. The cloaked figure produced a card from its sleeve, and in the next moment, fired a beam of light that punched through Divine's chest, leaving an empty hole where his heart once was. The cloaked figure put the card back up its sleeve and walked away, a crimson light trailing off its arm.<p> 


	47. Chapter 47

**May I Have Your Attention Please?**

* * *

><p>Jack Atlas and Mikage had left the TV on in the background as they discussed Mikage's surgery and physical therapy regimen. Rua and Ruka were watching their favorite anime, an adventure series about a family traveling through space and exploring all the worlds they discovered along the way. Yusei and Martha were watching the news while they waited for Yusei's boat to come in. At the same time the power went out for all of them, coming back a moment later. "Greetings, people of Neo-Domino City and The Satellite." They stared at the man on the screens before them, the same as everyone else who was near a TV, and that number was increasing as the man continued speaking. "My name is Divine, the leader of the Arcadia Movement, and if you are watching this broadcast, that means that I have been killed." Security Officers throughout the city attempted to change the channel, found that every channel was consumed by that one broadcast. "Since I am now dead, and with my death the Arcadia Movement lies in ruins, I will now reveal certain secrets I have kept up to this time without fear of reprisal." Setsuko Izayoi broke the glass in her hand, wrapped a cloth around it without looking away. "To start, let me show where I am standing." Divine stood up and adjusted the camera, revealing a sight familiar to everyone in Neo-Domino city and the Satellite alike. "Yes, Old Momentum, in the epicenter of the Satellite itself, the very birthplace of the Satellite, of Neo-Domino City, of the world as we know it." Divine chuckled. "Over ten years ago, a geological shift occurred during the experiments conducted here, triggering a reaction that grew exponentially and swallowed the whole world up in its wake, tearing old Domino City in half and ruining the rest of the world…so goes the official explanation at any rate."<p>

Rex Godwin's face was drawn tight, his hands tense as they gripped the arms of his chair; he watched every little movement Divine made, eyed every push of a button or flip of a switch he conducted with casual and rehearsed ease. "Somehow, I both under and over estimated you at the same time." Godwin remembered back to that day when he'd first met Divine, how he'd blackmailed him with this exact outcome if he were to try and kill him; only someone who'd actually been there, someone who had worked there, someone who'd been a high-ranking member of the M.I.D.S project…in short, only he, Rex Godwin, was equipped to know the meaning of Divine's as he spoke. "Because I believed your threat, you were able to make good on it." He forgot himself, broke the left arm of his chair under his mechanical arm.

"What happened here was an accident, that much is true," Divine said, "but it had nothing to do with an alleged tectonic shift; really, would it make sense to do any sort of experiment involving infinite energy production to be conducted without making sure that the ground would always be firm and stable, that the foundation would resist upheaval? Of course not, we all know that Rex Godwin is never so careless." Rex felt the phantom pain in his left arm, the product of his one-time carelessness. "The fault, so to speak, was not in the stars but in Rex Godwin and his brother Rudger; yes, I'm sure none of you knew, I myself was shocked to learn that Rex had had a brother, but the reason our dear Rex concealed this from all of us is quite straightforward." Rex braced himself, waited as Divine timed the delay of his reveal with all the mastery of a circus showman. "Rudger Godwin initiated Zero Reverse in an attempt to harvest the lives of the people of the city to extend his and Rex's lives, allowing them to become the God-Kings of their new world." Of course Divine would put it that way; he knew the truth, and presented it in the manner that best suited his needs. "The effort failed, and so Godwin was forced to start again from scratch, rebuild the city, restructure everything, and since he has killed me, knowing that this truth would be revealed, he is now on the cusp of achieving that ambition."

The camera was focused on Divine's face, but it gave enough view of the monitor behind him that Godwin could see the program displayed on it. "You bastard." Godwin stood up, leaned forward with his hands down on his desk.

"Yes, Godwin will soon initiate a second Zero-Reverse and use the power of the Old Momentum Generator to make himself into an immortal god to rule forever over the world of his own making. This is why I stood in opposition to Godwin, why I sought to bring down the order that he'd created, the order that existed only to be sacrificed at his own altar!" Divine moved away from the panel, but not before pressing the enter key, activating the program that only Godwin would recognize, only he would look away from Divine's face and at what his hands were really doing. "People of Neo-Domino City, I beseech you! I know that my hands are not clean, that I had done terrible things in my fight against Godwin, but I truly believed it was the only way I could stop him! Do not let my death be in vain, stand up against Godwin while he is still only human, stop him now before he becomes a god and puts us under his subjugation forever!" The video ended, the regular news broadcast resumed, the newscasters struck dumb by what they'd just learned. Godwin sat back down, breathed in deep and slow, steadied himself; he'd failed to anticipate the full extent of Divine's countermeasure in the event of his death, and so he hadn't prepared for this.

"Director Godwin!" The monitor changed to show Professor Akutsu with a face torn between abject terror and barely-restrained rejoicing. "Sir, Old Momentum has suddenly activated, and its production is climbing rapidly! I estimate that it will only take three hours for it to exceed the safety limits!" Godwin steepled his hands in front of his face, concealing the frown on it; three hours…

"Professor Akutsu."

"Yes, Director Godwin?" The man wrung his hands together, gulped.

"Continue to monitor the situation." He cut Akutsu off, contacted his Vice-Director. "Jaeger, get in here now."

"Y-yes sir!" It wasn't long before Godwin heard a frantic stamping of feet just outside his door, followed by his door flying open. "Director Godwin, this is terrible, just terrible! First Divine is killed, all the guards stationed around his cell were killed, and then that broadcast, and now the Psychic Duelists have escaped in all the confusion! Everything is falling apart at the seams!" The smaller man paced in place as he spoke.

"Calm yourself, Jaeger." Godwin projected a cold detachment from his tall, muscular frame. "I need you to arrange a chopper for you, me, and a small detachment of those officers you trust most."

"Yes sir, right away sir!" Jaeger ran out, slamming the door shut behind him.

Alone again, Godwin turned around, looked out the window at his city, Neo-Domino City.

* * *

><p>"People of Neo-Domino City, this is Director Godwin." Godwin's voice rang through every speaker, his face loomed out from every monitor as Jack rode by on the Wheel of Fortune. "You are to remain in your homes for the time being." Jack raced his way to the pipeline connecting Neo-Domino City and the Satellite. "Anyone found outside their residence will be detained until further notice." Jack looked up, saw Godwin's helicopter flying overhead. "Anyone who resists a security officer will be treated as an enemy of the state and will be dealt with accordingly."<p>

"You heard the director!" Jack looked to his left, saw a security officer looking back at him. "You helped save the city from those Psychic Duelists, so just turn around and go back home!"

"Really? How am I going to get back home if I turn away from it?" Jack took the corner, the pipeline was in sight. There was a police barricade in place.

"This is your last chance, Jack Atlas!" The security officers ahead of him said through their bullhorns.

"Then I'd better take it!" Jack accelerated, aimed for one of the cars barring his way, and at the right moment pulled back, climbing up and over it. Then he activated the thrusters, a feature of his D-Wheel that he'd planned on debuting in his duel against Yusei at the Fortune Cup, and shot up over the gates. He landed, his body felt like jelly, but somehow he managed to avoid breaking almost every bone in his body. He clutched his hand over the Trust Guardian in his coat pocket, smiled, and rode on down into the pipeline.

* * *

><p>"Let us out!" Rua pounded his fist on the door over and over and over again. "You can't do this to us!" Rua's voice was horse, his fists were sore and tender. "Godwin, he's going to…" He pictured Martha and Yusei in his head, and he couldn't finish that sentence. "Just let us out now!"<p>

"Rua!" Ruka grabbed his hand before he could bring it down on the door again. "We need to go out onto the balcony, right now." Ruka looked firmly into Rua's eyes.

"Okay." Rua rubbed his hands and ran out onto the balcony with Ruka. They waited by the pool.

"There!" Ruka pointed up, and the twins saw a helicopter coming towards them. "Just like the Ancient Fairy Dragon said." Ruka whispered to herself; she knew the spirit was only a part of herself, but it was still easier to address it as the card it embodied. The helicopter's door opened, and a rope ladder rolled out. The twins climbed up, Rua got up first and helped pull Ruka on board before closing the door behind them.

"So, you two are Ruka and Rua." They looked up at their speaker, barely taller than them with pointed ears.

"Jaeger?!" Rua said, scooting away against the door.

"Hey, Jaeger's my dad you little jerk!" They looked over and saw a boy strapped into his seat, secure and tight. "This is my Mom Atsuko, and you better apologize for mixing them up!"

"Little?" Rua stood up, marched up to the frowning boy. "If anyone's little around here, it's you!"

"That's enough!" Ruka yelled, and to her surprise, Atsuko was doing the same. "Yes, we are Ruka and Rua." Ruka bowed. "Thank you for helping us get out of there."

"Don't think me just yet little one, I have my own reasons for wanting your help."

* * *

><p>"Aki!" Miyuki caught Aki as she collapsed. "Do you need to use the Inhibitor again?"<p>

"Divine…" Aki's breathing was fast and shallow. "Somebody…somebody killed him." Aki closed her eyes, pinched the bridge of her nose, it did nothing against the pinpricks in her brain. "They reached out, destroyed his heart." What did that mean? What did it mean for her? Wasn't this…

"Aki, remember, you're here with us now." Miyuki moved herself around Aki, positioned herself so that she had to look up into Aki's eyes. "Whatever has happened in Neo-Domino City, you don't have to worry about it, I promise you."

That…Aki looked up at the crowd that had gathered around them; Tetsu Ushio was there of course, he was always nearby, ready and willing to do whatever Miyuki needed of him, except whenever anyone else needed 'a big city boy' to take care of some physical task, or when the children wanted to hear stories about him catching criminals…children like Mitsuko's grandchildren, Sen and Suiko, they would listen to his stories all day, and hers too. Dave was there in the crowd, every day he asked if he could challenge her, show her his skills and see if they could measure up to hers. And Reika…she'd said she and her husband Nobuo were thinking of naming their child after her. A child named after her…a legacy of love…

"I need to go back." Aki stood up, Miyuki stood up with her. "Your son…he's in…someone is after him."

Miyuki breathed in deep through her nostrils. "You're certain about this?"

"Yes." Aki looked down at her Dragon Birthmark. "Divine's legacy…I can't let it be fulfilled, no matter what."

Miyuki sighed. "Then we need to hurry." She turned to face the crowd. "Forgive me everyone, but I have to leave you now, and…I don't that I'll ever…"

"It's okay Miss. Miyuki, you've done enough for us already." Dave's friend, the boy with the short afro of tangled red hair said.

"Brad…thank you." She gripped the boy on the shoulders, turned back to Aki. "We'll take my bike to the city."

* * *

><p>"You be careful out there Yusei." Martha said, the orphans standing at her back.<p>

He couldn't say something like he always was; he hadn't been careful when he'd left for the city, he hadn't been careful enough when he'd joined Team Satisfaction. "I will." That he could say. He turned and stepped outside, saw helicopters flying overhead with their searchlights aimed down, scanning the streets for anyone at all, so of course Yusei made his way to the subway. That was only the first step though, as there was also the matter of the Marker on his cheek that could be scanned for even through the concrete of the street above him. So, Yusei activated the scanning scrambler that he'd devised; it would only have enough power to last him half an hour, but thanks to Officer Nagisa's help, he knew it would work. There were many cracks in the road above, some big enough for someone to jump or fall down, and so Yusei waited each time to make sure that a helicopter wouldn't pass overhead in the moment he ran beneath the crack. He also scanned the ground for stray rocks or lost junk, anything he might kick or stumble over and thus risk giving away his position.

"You don't really think that Divine guy was telling the truth, do you?" Yusei heard voices up above, halted and listened, watched the timer on his scrambler. "I mean, he hasn't put out anything denying what he'd said, right?"

"Like Godwin's going to waste time with words; he knows actions speak loudest, he'll prove that bull about a second Zero-Reverse false and that will be that."

"I suppose…" Yusei kept himself still, kept from tapping his foot, rapping his knuckles on the wall. "Still, I mean, what would be the point of spreading a lie after he'd already died? What does Divine get out of doing something like that?"

"What are you, some kind of sympathizer or something? You got a friend that got suckered into his cult or something like that?"

"And what if I did? What difference would…" The voice moved away.

"Then I suggest you get your head out of…" The voice's partner also moved away.

Yusei waited a minute exactly, leaving him 12 minutes to get to Old Momentum before the scrambler ran out of power. He ran as far as the subway tunnels led, and emerged onto the surface. He ran, bolting from building to building, seeking each piece of rubble like an oasis, a sanctuary. The timer on the scrambler ticked down with each second, and when Old Momentum came into sight, along with a dozen security officers armed and ready to fire, Yusei had only 3 minutes left. Old Momentum…it was like an open sore, there was an inky, velvety, sandy sensation moving up and down his body as he looked at it, and the Security Officers kept twitching, scratching themselves. Even so, they guarded the one entryway to Old Momentum completely, no gaps to exploit. 2 minutes left…

He heard helicopters moving in, he looked up; had they found him? Already? No, they were pursuing a D-Wheel, he heard the sound of its engine approaching, he recognized it, and so was prepared when he saw Jack on the Wheel of Fortune driving up. "Get out of my way!" Jack yelled at the Security Officers, who in turn aimed their guns directly at him; all attention was on Jack, just like when dueled in the city. There were plenty of gaps to exploit now, and 45 seconds left on the clock.

"We need to get in there." Yusei stepped out into the open, joined Jack's side.

"Vice-Director Jaeger's orders, no one but him or the director himself are to be allowed inside this facility." Yusei felt the tension gathering in his hands, a power that wanted them to clutch into fists, wanted trigger fingers to contract.

Another helicopter arrived, and the others parted, scattered to the rest of the Satellite. "Oi, Yusei, Jack!" They looked up.

"Rua!" Jack smiled.

"Ruka!" Yusei smiled as well. They watched the ladder roll out, and the twins climb down, along with a woman and a child they'd seen once in a picture.

"Yusei, Jack, this is Atsuko and Kaoru, Jaeger's wife and son." Yusei bowed quickly, Jack bowed deeply.

"Would that we'd met under less pressing circumstances." Jack said.

"As you say Jack Atlas, we have more urgent matters to attend to." She walked up to the Security Officers, who looked down at her in confusion. "You are dismissed!"

Their grips on their guns faltered, they looked to one another. "But, only the Director or Vice-Director…"

"Look me in the eyes, and tell me you think it's a good idea to get in my way?"

The lead officer turned his head back. "Get Vice-Director Jaeger, tell him it's an emergency!"

"Very good young man." Atsuko rejoined her son, the twins, Jack, and Yusei. "Now we wait for my husband, and then we can get some answers."


	48. Chapter 48

**Buried Secrets, Brought to Light**

* * *

><p>"Shut up!" Vice Director Jaeger shouted into the silence, his shrill voice echoing back into his pointed ears. "I need to focus, and you're not helping!" Jaeger slammed his hands down on the console before him, fingers spread across the keys. "Now look what you made me do!" Jaeger undid the nonsense commands that he'd just entered, wiped off the sweat from his brow. He put his hand before his face, held it there, he blinked. He blinked again.<p>

"You said you could handle this, Jaeger." Director Godwin's voice rang out from the speakers all around him.

"And I can!" Jaeger cleared his throat. "That is, I will manage sir…better than Akutsu would at any rate." Jaeger muttered the last to himself; no amount of spinning in place would have saved that clown.

Jaeger heard Godwin chuckle; the sound crept along the back of his neck and settled there. "You've never believed in ghost stories Jaeger, have you Jaeger?"

Jaeger drew himself to his feet, kept his arms behind his back. "It is as you say sir; my parents were very strict about keeping my feet on the ground and my head out of the clouds, and it is to them I owe my present position in life." Jaeger turned around, thrust his finger out. "What the hell do you want?!"

The Security Officer fumbled with his gun, Jaeger wondered if the safety was still on. It was. "F-forgive me, Vice-Director Jaeger, but…but there's a matter of the ut-utmost urgency, an emergency!" The officer turned his head, aimed his gun at the wall. "Stay back!"

"Calm yourself Officer Kinoshita." Jaeger said as he clamped his feet together. "What is going on that you and your comrades can't handle?"

"It is…that is…" Officer Kinoshita closed his eyes, then opened them right away. "Sir, it's your wife, she's…"

"What the hell happened to my wife you incompetent idiot?!" Jaeger reached up and dragged the man down by his collar, glared into his eyes.

"N-nothing, she's alright, she's right here, just outside!"

Jaeger dropped the officer, returned to the console. He stared at the display, at the thousands upon thousands of pieces of data Godwin had tasked him with tracking. "Jaeger, you should resolve the situation with your spouse; the situation is not so dire that you can't be spared for five minutes."

"Understood, Director Godwin." Jaeger bowed, arm under his chest, and walked past Officer Kinoshita, who still had his gun out, aimed at the wall.

Jaeger stopped halfway down the hall. "What are you…you shouldn't even be here!" Jaeger said through clenched teeth as he averted his eyes from the green haired individuals before him. "And you're not here, and when I walk through you, that will prove it." Jaeger inhaled sharply, closed his eyes, and marched on through the still visible specters before him. "You see?" Jaeger looked back at them. "The product of stress, that's all you are!" Jaeger looked forward and continued his trek to his wife.

* * *

><p>"Do…do you need me to hold your hand?" Rua said while looking away from Ruka.<p>

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm fine." The spirits of her cards, every thought and investment of strength that she'd put into them, they were all around her, standing guard. "I can hold yours though."

"Okay, if you insist." Rua had his hand out like that, Ruka giggled as she took it. She looked over at Yusei and Jack, who stood back to back, eyes scanning everyone and everything around them, and then over at Atsuko and her son Kaoru; the boy clung to his mother's side, lips drawn in as his eyes kept darting about.

"Hey." She leaned over to bring herself on level with the boy. "I was scared too, when I first came here to the Satellite."

"I'm not scared!" The boy snapped back at her. "Daddy told me to be brave for my Mom, and that's what I am!"

"Yes, you're a wonderfully brave boy." Atsuko squeezed him a moment.

Ruka bit her lip, let go of Rua's hand to move in closer to Kaoru. "You really love your dad, don't you?"

"Of course I do, I'm a good boy." He got halfway to puffing out his chest, then shivered.

Kuribon chirped, looked at Kaoru with downcast eyes. Ruka smiled at the ribbon-tailed furball, petted it. "Here." Kaoru looked at her with wide open blinking eyes as she took out her deck. "Just because you're brave, doesn't mean you couldn't use a little more courage, right?"

"You'd give your card to me?" Kaoru spoke in a hushed tone of reverent awe.

"Not for keeps, just for a little while." She smiled at him, wondered at how Jaeger could have raised a boy like him. "It's a card I've put a lot of feelings into, so be careful with it."

Kaoru nodded, reached out for it.

"Get away from my son this instant!" Ruka felt herself shake as she turned to face Jaeger; the impish man had his arms stiff and down at his sides, his face scrunched up and red while his eyes bulged out of his sockets. "Now!" Ruka moved away from Kaoru in spite of herself, rejoined Rua while Jaeger stormed right up to his wife and son. "Atsuko, what is the meaning of this? It's one thing that you came here, against orders, but to bring our son here as well…" Jaeger's hands shook.

"What is the meaning of this indeed, Jaeger." Atsuko had her arms crossed. "When you told me that I had to take Kaoru and escape the city, you refused to explain why, and you refused to even acknowledge that everyone else was being ordered to remain in their homes under threat of arrest, detention, or even execution!" She inhaled through her nostrils, and exhaled just as sharply. "If you can't explain your actions to me, your wife, then there is no comprehending the levels of shame you must be feeling at whatever it is you and Godwin are doing this very instant!"

"Atsuko, we've been over this! State secrets are secret, even from you!"

"And what about Kaoru?" Jaeger visibly swallowed. "Was there a state secret behind why you pulled him out of public school the moment the twins applied for it?" Atsuko tapped her finger on her elbow. "Well?"

"Daddy…" Kaoru's mouth opened and closed several times. "You said that was because my grades were so good…"

"Kaoru, your grades are that good, honest…" Jaeger snapped back. "What am I even talking about?! This is not the time nor the place, you two need to get out of here, now!"

"And what about us?" Jack stepped forward. "You have no concern for the survival of your precious Signers?"

"You I don't have to worry about!" Jaeger clamped his hand over his mouth. Everyone looked on at Jaeger in silence.

"A duel." Rua said. "If you win, you get to keep your secrets, but if you lose, you have to spill everything, and I mean everything." Rua kept his voice even, his tone controlled.

"Oh, the worthless, petulant, useless tagalong twin thinks to dictate terms to me, does he?" Jaeger laughed, an ugly sound. "You think you can face me, after the way you endangered Ruka's life in the battle at the Arcadia Movement Headquarters?" Rua shook his head.

"I'll duel you." Ruka stepped forward. "I'll take everything that I've learned from my brother, and use that to defeat you."

"Learn from…what is there to learn from him, other than how to be an incompetent wretch of a failure, completely incapable of doing anything about anything in his entire life?"

Ruka smirked. "Then you shouldn't have a problem defeating me, should you?" She armed her duel disc, let it shuffle her cards for her.

"Fine, have it your way, but remember; I win, you and your brother will stay away from my family, forever, you got that?!" Jaeger snapped his duel disc into place, almost tore his cards out of his deck. "First, I summon Worm Xex from my hand." A hole opened up in the ground before Jaeger, and a round-mawed monster crawled up and latched down with four extensions at ninety-degree angles from one another, such that they formed an X. "When normal summoned, Worm Xex sends a reptile-type Worm monster from my deck to the grave, and so I choose Worm Yagen, and when Worm Xex is the only monster I control, I can special summon Worm Yagen from the grave in face-down defense position." There was a low rumble in the Earth as Jaeger's monster card formed on the field. "Now I set one card, and end my turn." He said the last with a snarl, slamming the card into its slot.

"Turn 2, Ruka: 4000 life points, Jaeger: 4000 life points."

"My turn." Ruka drew her next card, felt the chill from it. "It's okay, there's nothing to be afraid of." She felt a cold energy coursing up her spine, clenched her fist that was free of cards. "I summon Fairy Archer to the field in defense." The shining winged woman drew her bow out to its furthest extent…

"I activate my trap card, W Nebula Meteorite!" The sky turned dark, Ruka looked up and saw something was blocking the sun, and it was getting closer! Ruka had enough time to gasp before the meteorite crashed down in front of Jaeger, creating a deep crater. "First, all face-down monsters are flipped into face-up defense position, and when Worm Yagen is flipped face up, I return one monster you control back to your hand." A hideous, tree-like worm grew up from the ground, two massive branches forming a Y-shape. It extended itself out across the field and swept up Fairy Archer in its grasp, forcing it back into Ruka's hand.

That wasn't everything, not by a long shot, but though Ruka waited, nothing happened. "I set three cards, and end my turn."

"And upon entering the end phase, my trap card's true terror emerges." Jaeger snapped his fingers, steam shot out of the crater. "All of my Light Reptile-type monsters are switched to face-down defense, and for every monster so switched, I can draw one card." The steam dispersed, she felt the sound of a heartbeat with her skin, her bones. "Then, after I draw those cards, I special summon a level-7 or higher Light Reptile-type monster from my deck." A golden claw reached out from the depths of the crater, and then another. Then a third, and a fourth, they all gripped the rim of the crater together, pulled the four-legged, long tailed beast out from the depths, massive glowing eyes just below the stomach, a tiny head crowned with horns, 2700 attack points to its name. "Behold, Worm King."

"Turn 3, Ruka: 4000 life points, Jaeger: 4000 life points."

Ruka watched as Jaeger drew his next card, seven cards in his hand now and three monsters on the field. "I summon Worm Solid." A transparent pyramid appeared on the field, filled with writhing blue worms with eyes looking all around. "Now, I activate Worm King's effect and sacrifice all three of my worms to destroy all three of your cards on the field!" Three claws reached out to Jaeger's monsters, lifted them up into the air, and crushed them. With fists coated in raw, visceral power, Worm King hammered down on each of Ruka's face-down cards on the field. "Let's see, the first card I destroyed was Spiritual World, you used that one back in your duel against Aki to draw two cards after giving her 1000 or more life points, the next…a new one, Living Balance; when you would gain life points, you can instead give those life points to your opponent and destroy up to two cards they control, and the third card is Draining Shield, to negate one attack and gain life points. Well, that was quite the combo I'd disrupted, wasn't it?" Jaeger laughed his staccato laugh.

"Yes it was, but now you only have one attack remaining, and I doubt you have anything in your hand that will let you special summon another monster, at least not in face-up attack position on this turn." Jaeger frowned. "And I'll bet you don't have anything that you can use to increase Worm King's attack power either." Jaeger's frown grew. "In fact, I say that almost every card in your hand right now is a Worm monster to be normal summoned for Worm King's effect."

"Oh ho, the little prodigy thinks she knows all, does she?" Jaeger smiled. "Well, as a matter of fact, you're absolutely right, but what of it?" Jaeger pointed at Ruka, and Worm King wrapped two sets of claws around her body. "You'll survive this turn, but whatever you put down on the field I will destroy, and I already know what one of the monsters in your hand is, so your ability to surprise me in this duel is very limited indeed." Ruka felt the claws digging into her body, her nerves freezing themselves from the intensity of the Solid Vision grabbing her as the 2700 points of battle damage registered. "This is the beast that you awoke, this is what you get, what you all get for snooping where you don't belong! I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 4, Ruka: 1300 life points, Jaeger: 4000 life points."

Ruka gripped her sides, felt the tingling sensation in her nerves still lingering. "My turn." She let go of herself, drew her next card. "I summon Armored White Bear, and then I play Terraforming to add and activate the Field Spell Card, Ancient Forest." The trees appeared all around them as though they'd always been there and only now were their eyes open, their ears attuned to the sound of the wind rustling the leaves.

"Now neither of us can put a monster in defense, and if either of us attacks, their monster will be destroyed." Jaeger had his eyes closed, his arms crossed. "You think I don't know what you're trying to say? You think that just because you started life halfway down the track that I don't know where you're going with this?" His eyes snapped open. "Go ahead, end your turn, this entire forest is coming down in a matter of seconds."

"Before I end my turn, I'm going to set one card." Ruka did so, leaving behind only her Fairy Archer in her hand.

"Turn 5, Ruka: 1300 life points, Jaeger: 4000 life points."

"You had another trap card in your hand, did you? Hmm, I could call your bluff…" Jaeger drew his card, "…but that won't be necessary; first, I activate Viper Rebirth and special summon Worm Solid back from the grave, and then I summon Worm Tentacles from my hand, sacrificing them both so that Worm King can destroy both Ancient Forest and your face-down card!" There was a terrible crunching sound as Worm King scooped up its subjects and sacrificed them to its power, and then it brought that power to bear on Ruka's world, tearing it asunder and tossing the remnants aside; now there was nothing between Worm King and Armored White Bear, so Worm King stripped Ruka's monster of its armor, and finished it off moments later for 900 points of damage. "You understand now, don't you Ruka?"

"Yes, I do." Ruka breathed slow and steady; Jaeger's attacks had torn holes in her defenses, her guard against the terrible presences emanating from the Old Momentum. "You keep so many secrets, the thing that scares you most are the secrets other people keep from you."

"What?!"

Ruka felt a tap-tap-tap like a dozen centipedes crawling along her arms. "You know the secrets you're keeping from us, are things we should know, things we need to know, and so you're terrified of anything you don't know about us."

"Smart, but not smart enough; I'm the Vice-Director of Security, there is nothing that I don't have clearance to know."

Ruka heard the familiar whisper in her ear. "What about Godwin?" Jaeger froze. "He hasn't told you what he's doing here, has he?"

"Don't be ludicrous, how could I possibly do my job if he didn't entrust me with everything I needed to know?"

"So you don't think he should have told you more? You really see eye-to-eye that much."

"Enough!" Jaeger shouted. "Your distraction isn't going to work; the moment your Armored White Bear's effect activates…" He waited just a moment, and Ruka special summoned Sunlight Unicorn from her deck in accordance with Armored White Bear's effect, "…I activate my trap card, Sealed Chapter, flipping it face-down and preventing you from ever flipping it face-up!" A near pitch black ring surrounded Sunlight Unicorn, and contracted, shrinking Ruka's monster down into nothingness. "Now I'll end my turn, and you'll have no choice but to take yours!"

"Turn 6, Ruka: 400 life points, Jaeger: 4000 life points."

"My turn." Ruka drew her card, smiled at the timely arrival of her comrade bearing another piece of her soul. "I sacrifice my face-down Sunlight Unicorn and summon High Pixie." A high, refined laugh reverberated in Ruka's ears as her monster appeared in the air before her. "Then, I activate the effect of the Dream's Bounty trap card that you destroyed and sent to the grave; when in the grave, I can remove it and one field spell card I control to turn over the top five cards of my deck, and special summon each Light-Attribute monster I find in defense position with its effect negated, sending the rest of the cards to the bottom of my deck." Four spheres of light shot out from Ruka's deck and exploded onto the field, revealing Alpha Leonis, Wise Rabbit, Sunny Pixie, and Golden Ladybug. "With that, I now send Sunny Pixie and High Pixie to the grave for a Synchro Summon!" One ring, six stars. "The holy light of protection, shine now and become eternal life! Synchro Summon! A Regal Birth, Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Ancient Fairy Dragon encircled itself around Ruka, and all was calm. "I activate Ancient Fairy Dragon's effect to special summon Fairy Archer from my hand, and then activate her effect to inflict 400 damage for each Light Attribute monster I control." Fairy Archer flew up above Ruka while the rest of her monsters gathered around Ancient Fairy Dragon; they joined together, focused their power, created a shimmering prismatic arrow for Fairy Archer. Ruka's monster fired straight into Jaeger's heart, making him shudder as the 2000 points of damage took hold. "You understand, right Jaeger?" He growled as he gripped his chest. "If you'd focused on my monsters, destroyed Armored White Bear and then Sunlight Unicorn, you would have won."

"I'm still going to win! You might think you know my strategies, but even if you do, so what? You don't have the power to do anything about it, Signer or no! I've been in control of this duel from the very start and I still am, because you have nothing that can get rid of my Worm King!"

"I thought as much." Ruka spoke with an echo, the reinforcement of Ancient Fairy Dragon; her own voice was dominant. "I promise you Jaeger, I will destroy the embodiment of your own self-destruction."

"My self-destruction? Because I sacrifice my weaker monsters to destroy your cards?" Ruka nodded. "Sentimental…it doesn't matter!"

"Turn 7, Ruka: 400 life points, Jaeger: 2000 life points."

"I'm taking my turn now!" Jaeger pulled the next card from his deck. "I set a monster card, and activate Book of Taiyou, flipping Worm Cartaros face up and activating its effect to add a level-4 or lower Worm monster from my deck to my hand." Ruka felt chest constrict, she could not let Jaeger activate that monster's effect. "Now, I sacrifice Worm Cartaros and destroy your Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Worm King pulled its subject apart, shattered Ancient Fairy Dragon in a single blow. "Now, Worm King, attack and destroy Fairy Archer!" Two massive arms swept out, breaking Fairy Archer against the nearby wall. "You see? I've destroyed your only means of attack, and it won't be long before you are completely defenseless before me. I end my turn."

"Turn 8, Ruka: 400 life points, Jaeger: 2000 life points."

Ruka smiled as she drew her card, the feeling coursing through her veins giving her all the strength in the world. "I end my turn."

"Turn 9, Ruka: 400 life points, Jaeger: 2000 life points."

"Wipe that smirk off your face, a bluff like that, it's exactly the sort of thing that worthless brother of yours would try and pull."

"You're not even a tenth the person my brother is." She spoke very intently with only her own voice. "Even at his worst, Rua wasn't so scared of the truth that he would try and hide it from everyone around him and even himself, he fought to change himself and he succeeded!"

"A delusion born of nothing but sibling pity." Jaeger drew his card. "I set one monster, and then I'll have Worm King attack and destroy Alpha Leonis." The mighty lion roared no more. "Take your final turn."

"Turn 10, Ruka: 400 life points, Jaeger: 2000 life points."

Ruka closed her eyes, looked down at her deck; in her mind she saw not cards but the spirits that she'd brought to life. She saw the loneliness that drove her to embrace them instead of people, and how they would help her to reach out to others. She drew her card, her own soul. "I activate my spell card, Dawn's Gift!" A gentle and soothing yellow light crossed the horizon. "I sacrifice every Light Attribute monster I control to draw one card for each one, but on this turn I can't special summon." She drew her next cards. "It's over Jaeger." She removed one card from her hand, put it on her duel disc. "I summon Kuribon!" Ruka's oldest monster, her first monster, smiled with its eyes and chirped and chirped and chirped.

"Useless, all I have to do is avoid attacking it."

"I now equip Kuribon with Last Ray; when equipped to a level-one light monster and that monster is the only one I control, it gains attack power equal to that of the highest attack-power monster on the field." Kuribon narrowed its eyes as a scintillating nimbus of energy formed around it."

"Still trivial, regardless of which monster you choose to attack."

"Which is why I now activate my field spell card, Blazing Summer!" The sun increased in size and magnitude, loomed over all of them as every last shadow was wiped from existence. "Jaeger, I now strip you of your lies and deceit!" His face was drawn tight, too tight. "Kuribon, attack and destroy Worm King!" Kuribon flew in a circle, gathering its strength, and shot through Worm King's chest. The hole expanded until it consumed the entirety of Jaeger's monster, leaving nothing between Jaeger and the scorching brilliance of the summer sun that sought to burn away everything.

"I…" Jaeger fell to his knees. He removed his face-down monster from his duel disc. "Worm Ugly; if sacrificed for the summon of a Worm monster, it gets special summoned to the opponent's side of the field in attack position. Just one more turn…" He dropped his head. "No…you were right Ruka, I've dealt in lies and deception and secrets and betrayal for so long, I didn't stand a chance at all against you."

Ruka stepped forward, her brother followed. Kaoru ran to his father, tears in his eyes as he embraced his old man. Atsuko sighed and joined her husband, Yusei and Jack joined Ruka and Rua. "Why don't you start by telling the truth about me and Rua? About our parents?"

Jaeger looked up at her. "Yes, I can't deny you that, but I make no promises about what you're going to learn." Jaeger took out his PDA, searched and browsed through his files. "Look, see this article here?" He showed it to them, a fluff piece about an elderly woman and her dozens of pet cats. "It's just an overlay, a disguise for the real article." He pressed a few more keys, and the article changed. "Here, read it for yourself."

He handed it to Ruka and Rua, they read it together.

A twitch formed on Rua's face, a vein in his forehead pounded. "No…you've got to be…you're lying!"

"Why would I bother lying now? And if I were, why would I make up such a farcical story?"

"Because…you can't expect us to believe…" Rua shook his fist. "A meteorite?! A stupid meteorite hit our parents' car and caused them to crash and die?"

"A very stupid meteorite, only this big." Jaeger held his hand out, the space between his thumb and forefinger just over a cubic centimeter. "They were on their way to meet up with me and Godwin so that we could discuss what was best for the two of you, when something no one could have imagined happened. It was by the barest of margins that the two of you were saved."

Ruka felt her brother shudder, shake. "But…why keep it a secret? What's the point of keeping a stupid accident like this secret, and what the hell does that have to do with you wanting us to stay away from your kid?"

Ruka put her hand on her brother's fist, kept it there as his skin cooled, tension diminished, his heartbeat slowed down. "Because it would mean admitting the biggest lie of all." She looked up to Yusei, saw his nod of agreement. "You and Godwin, and Divine too, you all tried to act like you're in complete control of everything, but you're not."

Jaeger brought his arm around his son, embraced him. "I still remember those days after Zero Reverse, the things I did to survive in the wake of that carnage." He cradled his son's head, looked into his eyes. "I wanted you to believe that you would always be safe and loved, and being reminded that I couldn't keep that promise was something I couldn't handle."

"Darling." Atsuko smiled wanly at her husband, let out a sigh. "I suppose there's no way for me to punish you any further, is there?"

"I knew there was a reason I married you." Jaeger took his other arm and wrapped it around Atsuko.

Rua was wiping the tears from his eyes, so Ruka turned around to face Yusei and Jack. "I think you two should go on ahead; we've still got a lot of stuff to talk about out here."

"I'd say you're right." Jack said while Yusei nodded. They turned and walked past the guards, who made no objection to their ingress.


	49. Chapter 49

**What is a God to a King?**

* * *

><p>"Jack." Yusei leaned back against the opposite end of the elevator that was heading deeper and deeper underground. The Dragon Birthmark on his crossed arm glowed bright and steady, the light suffusing the tiny room. "You've known Godwin for two years."<p>

"I knew the image he presented to me, the same as everyone else in the Satellite and in the City." Jack clicked his tongue, his Dragon Birthmark glowing in the same measure as Yusei's. "I've no more clue what the hell he's doing here, whether he really is going to trigger another Zero Reverse or something else, than you do."

"You're certain?" Yusei looked up, a shadow passed over his face but there was nothing that could have cast it. "There's nothing you can think of now that you might have overlooked at the time?"

Jack frowned. "Do you really think that Rex Godwin would insinuate his true purpose to a reckless hothead that he'd lured in from the Satellite?" He looked up. "You think Jaeger ever allowed anything to slip in front of his hired clown?" He looked back down. "If there had been anything, Mikage would have pointed it out to me well before now." Jack exhaled through his teeth.

"You're right." Yusei uncrossed his arms.

"Besides which, our plan's the same no matter what Godwin's doing down here." The elevator stopped, the doors slid open. Jack walked out, his coattails flaring out. Yusei followed, focused on Jack and not on the shadows that crept along the periphery of his vision in that empty, featureless hallway. They ignored the side-doors labeled for the offices of the various members of the research team, kept their aim on the double doors at the end of the hall. "Say that again Yusei?" Jack stopped and turned, looked at him. "You didn't say anything, did you?" Yusei nodded.

"Godwin!" Fingers dug into his skull, and were gone just as suddenly, leaving Yusei to grip his head. "Kill Rudger!" Yusei stood and waited, heard nothing more.

"It would seem that Martha was right about this place." Jack put his hand on Yusei's shoulder. "Come on, we've got worse to deal with than ghosts." They crossed the rest of the hallway, sounds like skittering insect feet in the spaces between the echoes of their steps. Jack reached out to the door, pulled his hand back. "Make up your mind damn it!" He breathed in deep. "An argumentative lot, let's ignore them." Jack braced himself, grabbed the handle to the door, turned it, and opened the door.

Crimson energy sparked along the consoles in the room, brightest in the card shaped slots upon them. The scent of ozone was thick in the air, faint cracking sounds occurred regularly. "Welcome Jack, Yusei; you're right on time." Their eyes were drawn to the centerpiece of the room, what looked like a throne and Godwin seated in it, wires hooked into his now-exposed cybernetic arm. He raised that arm, waved them in. "The three of us are about to create the future."

"The hell…are you performing for a crowd or something?" Jack said, closing the distance between them.

"In a manner of speaking; this is a live broadcast after all." He pointed up at the cameras on the ceiling. "Attention, people of Neo Domino City." Godwin's voice echoed from the speakers situated throughout the room. "As the Director of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, it is my responsibility to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those under my protection. That responsibility was compromised by the man we all knew as Divine, and for that I must apologize and make amends; therefore, I will, with the capable assistance of these two young men, fulfill the dreams of the M.I.D.S Research Team and realize the true infinite potential of the Momentum Generator, rendering the Satellite unnecessary and granting me the power to root out corruption and vice wherever it may dwell in my city."

"So Divine really was telling the truth." Jack said as he grabbed hold of Godwin's collar. "Give me one good reason why I don't just tear you off your throne and throw you out to the people that you intend to sacrifice on your own altar?"

"Because my presence here, my will connected to the generator itself, is the only thing keeping it stable; because my ascension is already underway, and the only way for you to get what you want is to risk giving me what I want; the ritual that has captivated the souls of the people of this city since before it took its current form."

"Dueling." Yusei contemplated this; though Godwin had certainly overseen and observed many duels, he did not seem like someone who'd ever dueled himself; dueling was something that exposed your soul, connected it to your opponent. "You're certain you want to do this?"

Godwin smiled. "Yusei, I have been dreaming of this moment for almost twenty years now; rest assured, necessity and desire are aligned within me."

"Fine then, if that's how you want this, then you'll have your way before we drag you out into the open." Jack released his grip on Godwin's collar. "So, two on one, what advantage do you want to even the odds for yourself?"

Godwin shook his head. "No Jack, this will be a normal, one-on-one duel." He turned his head to face Yusei. "You will be managing the system during the duel, keeping everything stable so that the ritual may reach its proper conclusion."

Yusei frowned. "As Jaeger would point out, I have no formal education; what little Martha was able to give me would not suffice to managing something like this."

"I did not think you would be able to manage on your own Yusei, but I never said you would have to, as there is someone here very experienced and eager to guide you." He pointed behind Yusei, at the Observation Room that his mother had been in on that day. Yusei turned his head, then his whole body in a single jerking motion.

"Father?" The man stood there, looking back at him. Yusei walked silently to the door, walked through it. "Are you…?"

"Hello Yusei." The sound of his voice didn't come from his mouth, it came from inside Yusei's head, like one of his own thoughts. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I really did die here."

Yusei looked down; just for a moment…he raised his head back up. "Have you been here this entire time?"

The apparition shrugged. "Hard to say; I've lost track of time, and sometimes it seems like I'm somewhere else, and I can't tell if it's where I'm supposed to be or if I'm just imagining what it should be like." Then he smirked. "No, in my imagination, your mother is there, laughing at my jokes."

"That definitely sounds like your imagination, Father." Yusei smiled.

"Oh come on, you were only just born when I made that joke about how you came into this world, you can't possibly remember it well enough to say that."

"Godwin also mentioned the one about you wanting to name me Aikimiki Tatsuyada."

"Oh he did, did he?" His father looked over at Godwin, Yusei joined him in this; Godwin looked back. "I suppose we should get to work, shouldn't we?"

"If you're saying that, then Godwin was telling the truth."

"In that much, he was, but the rest…well, that's for your friend to find out." He turned back to him. "Now listen carefully Yusei, you have to be my hands in this."

"I'll do my best."

* * *

><p>"Tell me Jack, did you ever imagine it would come to this?" Godwin said as the table rose up in between them. Jack took his seat, shuffled his deck. "A boy from the Satellite, able to face me as an equal?"<p>

"You say that as though this were an accomplishment." Jack frowned as Godwin brought out his own deck, shuffled it. "So that artificial arm can handle as delicate as a card?"

Godwin smiled. "This one, yes; the first one was rough and crude, but as the city developed, as my vision for it came to fruition, my hand became more and more equal to the tasks before it." He put his deck down in the slot on his side, Jack did the same with his. Godwin raised his artificial hand, flexed the fingers. "You never think about what you have until you lose it; what do you think of that, as someone who'd lived so long without anything at all?"

"I'd say you don't know a damn thing about the hellhole that you forced us to live in if you think I had nothing."

"Oh? Yes, that's right, you had that one child that you'd saved…tragic, what happened to that boy." That look on Godwin's face, Jack felt his fingers tensing up, his fist forming and clutching. "Tell me, when you sleep at night, do you see him? Do you feel him in your arms, do you yell at him, do you wake up afterwards and curl up into a ball, knowing that when next you sleep you'll replay it all again in the subconscious hope that you might change the past? Well, Jack?" He grinned. "Whether you do or don't is irrelevant, because the moment I set my eyes on you, sent Jaeger after you, Rally's life was forfeit."

"What?"

"Be reasonable Jack; I needed Yusei as well, and even with his Signer Dragon stolen, I could not be certain that he would come of his own power…but with Rally's death, there was nothing to keep him in the Satellite, and everything worked out within the parameters of my plan."

"You can't possibly…" Jack ground his teeth together.

"I can, I do, and I will continue to do so for as long as I live." Godwin drew his first five cards. The crimson lighting grew brighter. "Jack, the time has come for your final dance in the palm of my hand, so remember your time as King, and serve your God." Godwin drew his sixth. "I summon Core Chimail Drago, in attack position." He put the card down in the middle monster zone slot. A bundle of crimson currents contracted overhead, and burst apart to reveal Godwin's monster, a four winged blue-white dragon with 1900 attack points. "Then, I will set two cards and during the end phase Core Chimail Drago's effect activates." Godwin's monster keened, a pitiful sound that scraped on the ears. "During each of my End Phases, I must either reveal a Dragon Type monster in my hand, or discard the Steel Core of Core Chimail from my hand else my monster will be destroyed by its own effect. Therefore, I will discard Steel Core of Core Chimail to keep Core Chimail Drago on the field." Drago curled up in on itself, revealing a gap in its back just below the wings; the Steel Core of Core Chimial, a drum emblazoned with three dragon heads spiraling around a circle at the top, inserted itself into that gap, and the keening stopped. "That ends my turn."

"Turn 2, Jack Atlas: 4000 life points, Rex Godwin, 4000 life points."

"Whatever plans you have for that creature, they will never come to fruition!" Jack drew his next card, jammed it into his hand. "I'll start by discarding my level 1 Underworld Resonator to special summon Power Giant at level 5, and then I'll summon my level 3 Tuner Monster Flare Resonator, allowing me to perform a Synchro Summon!" Dark Tinker snickered and flew overhead of Power Giant. Core Chimail Drago roared, a sound that drove away the darkness and the light, leaving only limbo.

"Unfortunately for you, Jack Atlas, so long as Drago is on the field, Light and Dark monsters can't be special summoned, so you can't summon Red Demon's Dragon." Dark Tinker fell away, dizzy and spinning.

"That's only so long as Drago is on the field, and I will end that time now! Power Giant, attack and destroy Core Chimail Drago!" With a swift uppercut Power Giant crushed Core Chimail Drago against the ceiling for 300 points of damage. "Now I have opened the path to my Synchro Summon!"

"But how can you do that, when Drago is still on the field?" Steam filled the room, Core Chimail Drago arose from the grave with a new core installed. "The permanent trap card Core Reinforcement; if I allow my monster to be destroyed in the end phase I will take damage equal to its attack power, but I have no intention of letting that happen. Well Jack? Your monster will be vulnerable to reprisal next turn; do you have anything that you might use to protect it?"

"It's possible that one of these two cards, or even both, might stop you in your tracks." Jack spoke with a growl as he set his two face-down cards. "There's only one way for you to find out."

"Turn 3, Jack Atlas: 4000 life points, Rex Godwin: 3700 life points."

"Only one method for you, but I've chosen a different path." Godwin drew his card. "First off, during my draw phase, I can either choose to add Steel Core back to my hand in place of drawing a new card, or I can choose to send a Core Chimail monster from my hand to the grave to add Steel Core to my hand. I think I shall choose the latter." Godwin sent a card to his grave and retrieved the Steel Core, which appeared in the air for a moment. "Now, during the standby phase, I activate my Permanent Trap Card, Core Blast; once per turn, during my standby phase, when I control a Core Chimail monster and you control more monsters than I do, I can destroy cards you control until you have the same number of cards as my Core Chimail monsters on the field; I have one monster, you have two, so therefore I will destroy Power Giant and both of your face-down cards." A Steel Core jutted out of the ceiling, turned to face each of Jack's cards, shot massive balls of fire at Power Giant and both of Jack's face-down cards. "There, now all you have left is Flare Resonator, nothing unexpected at all; such is to be expected when a King attempts to duel a God."

"You're still only human Godwin."

"But you have brought me one step closer to my goal, so I will show you my appreciation by summoning Core Chimail Crusader." A vaguely humanoid figure appeared, the upper half of its body disproportionately huge in contrast to its legs and its head, the breastplate of its armor adorned with the Core Chimail symbol. "Crusader will now attack your defense position Flare Resonator, and when it destroys a monster by battle, I can take a Core Chimail card in my grave and add it back to my hand." With a wide, slow sweep Crusader swung its massive sword through Flare Resonator, splitting it in half, both halves burning to a crisp. Then Core Chimail Crusader pressed its shield into the ground, the Core Chimail symbol appeared on the ground and glowed, Core Chimail Beetle appeared and returned to Godwin's hand. "And now to attack you directly." Core Chimail Drago spread its wings out and opened its mouth, the Core Chimail symbol appearing in the air before it. Energy gathered, coalesced, and then Drago pushed it through the symbol and into Jack's body.

Jack's body froze up, a high-pitched sound rang in his ears, a white light blotted out his vision, he tasted a copper scent in his mouth. His jaw resumed working, the sound dimmed, he saw Godwin's satisfied face again…but everything was different now. "What the…" The layout of the lab had changed, there were three terminals around above him and Godwin, shadowy figures stood at those terminals.

"While you were reeling from my attack, I decided I would activate my field spell card, Iron-Core Synthetic-Beast Research Lab."

"Interesting; from what I recall, Divine used a very similar field spell card in his duel against Yusei."

"Is that so? It is said that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery there is."

"If it were me, I'd be disgusted…but then again, we both know that's not what's happening here; you two just had the same idea to begin with?"

"You think so, do you?"

"You both manipulate and sacrifice others for the sake of your own goals."

"A superficial similarity, I assure you; Divine acted only in his own selfish interest, but I have always acted to ensure the safety and well-being of my people. Against that, no individual life can be said to truly matter." A thrumming sounded all around them. "Case in point; it is now the end phase, so I will reveal Steel Core to keep my Lab on the field, and then discard to Steel Core to keep Drago on the field, but as for Crusader…" The hulking brute dropped to its knees and buried its head in its hands, stifling its own screams. The shadowy figures at the terminals typed away, and a Steel Core emerged from the ceiling, extending tubes into Crusader's body. Three switches were pressed simultaneously, and…something…was extracted from Core Chimail Crusader, hollowing its body out until it collapsed into an empty husk, breaking apart into dust. "When a Core Chimail monster is destroyed during the End Phase, I can search my deck and add another Core Chimail monster to my hand." The Steel Core in the ceiling glowed, shot out that energy and the figures coalesced it into a new card for Godwin. "Once a life has served its purpose, it gives way to the next, which will in turn be replaced by the next until my final goal has been achieved."

"With yourself as the exception of course."

"Someone has to oversee the process, someone has to make sure that everything is done properly, and I am the only who can be trusted with that responsibility."

"How convenient for you, that that responsibility comes with power over everyone else."

"I assure you Jack, I derive no pleasure from my work, it is simply what must be done. Now then, as I'm done with my turn, you may go ahead and take yours."

"Turn 4, Jack Atlas: 2100 life points, Rex Godwin: 3700 life points."

"Rest assured Godwin, I'm going to get plenty of pleasure out of taking you down." Jack drew his card. "And now you will learn the limit of your power! I activate the permanent spell card, Burden of the Mighty!" Chains shot up from portals in the ground and wrapped themselves around Core Chimail Drago, reducing its attack power from 1900 to 1500. "With this, I can now summon Mad Demon and destroy your monster!" Mad Demon ground up the skull inside its torso, and shot out the shrapnel to rip and tear Core Chimail Drago apart for 300 points of damage. "With that, you can't seal my special summons anymore."

"True, but what of it? You still have to draw something that you can summon, something you have no assurance of in contrast to the control that I have achieved over my deck, my fate, the city's fate, the world's fate."

"You really are full of yourself, you know that right?"

"Not at all; you simply do not grasp the potential of the Momentum Generator, so why don't I give you a quick demonstration?" Godwin put his artificial hand down on the arm of his throne, a holographic monitor lit up in front of Jack's face.

"Mikage!" She was in her hospital bed, watching the duel with her parents; their eyes met across the monitors.

"I could choose to cut off all power to her room, will all electronic devices to fail…like so." The image turned dark, then gained a green tint indicating night-vision. Mikage looked around, a tension in her face that Jack had never seen before…a tension that Mikage would never allowed him to have seen. "And I can restore it just as easily." The lights came back on, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "Just a taste of the power I'm gaining, power that will allow me to deal with any threat to the city efficiently and effectively."

"You…how are you even doing this?! Even if you found the Fifth Dragon, Aki is still outside the city, and you haven't retrieved the cards from me, Ruka, or Yusei!"

"It would indeed be much easier if I were to have all five cards in my possession…but you forget Jack, the power of the Five Dragons and the power of the Signers are linked; all of you, even Aki, even the Fifth Signer, you are all aligned against me, you are all connected in purpose, and therefore with you here, dueling me, it is as though the five cards have been brought to me; all I need at this stage is to wrest control from you, and the deed is done."

Jack narrowed his eyes; he wasn't Yusei, he saw the hints, the blurry shadowy outline but he couldn't see the picture that Godwin had just painted for him. He knew it was there though, Jack knew that much. "I end my turn."

"Turn 5, Jack Atlas: 2100 life points, Rex Godwin: 3400 life points."

He discarded a card from his hand to reclaim Steel Core once more. "I summon the monster I added to my hand during my previous end phase, Core Chimail Urknight." A blue skinned centaur covered in golden armored plates with the Core Chimail symbol over its heart, shield and a long blade in hand, the Beast-Warrior possessed 2000 attack points. "Once per turn, I can reveal a Steel Core in my hand to special summon a level 4 or lower Core Chimail monster from my deck in attack position." The cards in Godwin's deck floated apart, he reached out with his artificial arm and took the one he wanted without seeing what it was. "Enter the field, Core Chimail Bergzak." A dark figure with twin blades in hand and the Core Chimail symbol over its heart, it possessed 2000 attack points as well; granted, both monsters were immediately chained down by Burden of the Mighty, their attack powers reduced to 1600, but…

"You know that Mad Demon switches to defense position when attacked." Godwin smiled.

"I could not have managed your career as King if I did not keep myself aware of all your cards. So, Bergzak will put down your Mad Demon, for the good of the city." Bergzak spun like a top, slicing through Mad Demon in the blink of an eye. "Furthermore, when Bergzak destroys a monster by battle, it can attack once again; undoubtedly you only expected a single attack, but will now face two." Core Chimail Bergzak braced itself for another spin.

"You could have twenty attacks and it wouldn't make a difference." A dull ring sounded. It repeated itself. "When you attack directly, once per duel I can special summon the Dark Attribute Underworld Resonator from the grave." A gray fog emerged from the ground, the dull ringing increased in volume. A demon with glowing yellow eyes and a pallbearer's bell floated in through that fog. "When summoned by its own effect, Underworld Resonator negates your attack and ends the battle phase." Godwin frowned. "You didn't know about this card; just picked it up the other day." Jack smirked.

"How serendipitous; your good fortune will extend no further; I reveal Steel Core to keep the Research Lab in play, discard that Steel Core to keep Urknight in play, and then I allow Bergzak to be destroyed, activating the Research Lab's effect to add another Core Chimail monster from my deck to my hand."

"Turn 6, Jack Atlas: 2100 life points, Rex Godwin: 3400 life points."

"Before, you'd mentioned something about me having no assurance that I could draw the cards I needed, unlike you with your Iron-Core Synthetic-Beast Research Lab."

"And that remains true; you have nothing you could use to search for the cards you need."

"Because I don't need to." Jack held his hand over his deck, paused; the picture was getting clearer. "You may have studied duelists for years, but you don't have the trust that comes from personal experience…in fact, you don't trust anyone at all." Jack drew his card. "Here's your first lesson, Godwin; I summon the level 4 Vice Berserker, and tune it to my level 1 Underworld Resonator." Four stars, one ring. "Born of the darkness and to the darkness it returns, Synchro Summon! Come forth, Shadow Demon!" A horned, winged figure clad in deep purple armor appeared, sword and shield at the ready. "Normally Shadow Demon would only have 1000 attack points, but because I used Vice Berserker as the material for the summon, I can pay 2000 life points to increase its attack power to 3000 until the end phase." Golden bands of energy shot out of Jack's body and into Shadow Demon, causing its muscles to swell out against the plates of its armor. "Shadow Demon, slaughter Urknight!" Shadow Demon raised its shield, fired a purple beam into its sword, and swung it to unleash a wave of devastation onto Urknight, cleaving it in half for 1400 points of damage.

"An impressive blow, but as you said earlier, your monster's attack power will decline at the end of your turn; your trust, as you so put it, was not rewarded."

"Wasn't it?" Jack grinned. "During the end phase, I can remove Shadow Demon from play, and until my next standby phase I will take no damage from my opponent." A portal of the deepest darkness appeared before the Shadow Demon; it walked through, and the portal grew into a cloud that gathered around Jack, framing him in the shadows. "You judge too quickly Godwin, or do you even get that far? Do you just assume that no one else can handle the responsibility and refuse to let anyone prove you wrong?"

"Turn 7, Jack Atlas: 100 life points, Rex Godwin: 2000 life points."

"The ignorance of youth truly is appalling, as is its stubbornness. I will correct that problem now, and remind you of your limitations, former King of Riding Duels." Godwin discarded to reclaim Steel Core, drew his next card. "I now remove Steel Core of Core Chimail in my hand from play to special summon Core Chimail Maximum!" Steam shot out from vents all over the room, the terminals blared around them, red sirens flashed as the shadowy scientists entered the final figures. The Steel Core in the ceiling broke apart, and out came a…it was shaped like a dragon, but the neck, the head, that silver-metal coloration, everything about it was resoundingly wrong. Eight chains emerged to burden its might, dropping it from 3000 attack points to 2200. "The pinnacle of the Iron-Core Synthetic-Beast Research Lab's work; once per turn, Core Chimail Maximum can destroy one card on the field; therefore, I shall rid myself of that irritating Burden of the Mighty." Maximum extended its neck out, bit a hole in the card, disintegrating the chains holding it back. "Now, in the end phase I reveal my other Steel Core of Core Chimail, and discard that to keep Maximum on the field. You have nothing left Jack; you have nothing in your grave, nothing in your hand, only one card at a time from your deck, no matter what you play it will be obliterated before Neo-Domino City's Guardian God."

"Turn 8, Jack Atlas: 100 life points, Rex Godwin: 2000 life points."

"Is that so?" Jack drew his card. "A god should have nothing to fear from this face-down card."

"Turn 9, Jack Atlas: 100 life points, Rex Godwin: 2000 life points."

"And indeed I don't." Godwin took, back Steel Core of Core Chimail back from the grave in place of drawing a new card. "Core Chimail Maximum, destroy Jack's face-down card."

"Too late!" A terrible roar shook the room. "I've already activated Threatening Roar, denying you the chance to attack this turn."

"What of it? Your situation is unchanged, you have merely delayed the inevitable."

"Why don't you take a look outside this building, and see if you think my play was meaningless." Godwin narrowed his eyes. "Well? Does the man who seeks to be God fear what he might see?"

The holographic display appeared again, Godwin's eyes widened. Jack smiled at the sight before him, the massive crowd of Satellite citizens gathered just outside, Rua Ruka and Atsuko keeping Jaeger safe from their reprisal. "Irrelevant; their lives are forfeit the moment I win this duel, they can make all the noise they want."

"Yes, you're right, it doesn't really matter what the people of the Satellite do...but what about the people of Neo-Domino City? Each person protesting there, out in the streets demanding to be heard by their leader becomes another person you'll have to deal with one at a time, reducing your Utopia, shrinking it down little by little." A series of holographs appeared, showing people flooding the streets, one picture even catching Mikage in her wheelchair, another with Setsuko Izayoi leading others, there were even children stomping their way into a shaking group of Security Agents. "It seems they don't want a god that sees them no differently from the Satellite Trash you've had them look down upon."

"Human beings in a mob…what can you hope to accomplish?! Wail at the heavens all you like, I was the one who brought order and security back into their lives, and without me everything will descend back into chaos and anarchy!" All the mobs paused. "Yes, you remember those days before I came to power, before the Satellite was put to use in all the work that no one wanted to do, before my officers applied the law swiftly and decisively; reject me, and those days will be a pleasant memory by comparison; who among you dares to dream that you could take my place? Who among you will recognize that claim, instead of falling to bloody infighting and corruption? Do you seriously believe that you can keep the Satellite and not exploit it? You do not like my methods, but what have you to put in their place? Nothing!"

Silence. Godwin discarded Steel Core again.

"Turn 10, Jack Atlas: 100 life points, Rex Godwin: 2000 life points."

"You're right Godwin, we have nothing to put in place of your order, and I have no idea how we're going to resolve the injustice and exploitation of the Satellite. However…" Jack put his hand over his deck. "That doesn't mean we're going to give up without trying! We won't fall back at the first failure, or the fifth, or the tenth!" Jack drew his card, the picture Godwin presented was clear to him now. "You may have lost your faith in humanity that day, when Zero Reverse destroyed everything, but don't drag us all down with you! We are the people of Neo-Domino City, we are the ones who will decide our own fate, not you! I activate my spell card, Rise to the Challenge; you control three cards," Core Chimail Maximum, Core Blast, and Iron-Core Synthetic-Beast Research Lab, "and I have nothing and fewer life points, so I draw three cards!" The crowds stirred again. "Now you will see it Godwin, the folly of your cynicism masquerading as wisdom! You threw away everything you considered spent, and now have nothing to protect you against this! I special summon Vice Dragon, normal summon Trust Guardian, and send both to the grave to Synchro Summon my very soul that will the heartbeats of victory of all the people, of the soul of the city itself! Come forth, Red Demon's Dragon!" Jack's dragon, the Signer Dragon, the true dragon, dwarfed Godwin's artificial facsimile. "And now, having summoned my ace, I activate my spell card, Crushing Summons!" Crimson energy gathered around Red Demon's Dragon's claws. "When a monster is summoned, I grant that monster the effect that when it destroys a monster by battle, it will inflict damage equal to the destroyed monster's attack, and with Trust Guardian's effect, Red Demon's Dragon will survive to execute that damage!"

Red Demon's Dragon brought both claws down, aimed at Core Chimail Maximum's long sinewy neck. The beast fired back, its breath weapon an incandescent fury. Trust Guardian appeared and divided that energy away from Red Demon's Dragon, leaving the path for it to claim victory.

The lights shut off, the hum of machinery ended. The sickly sensation of death faded. "The cameras are off." Jack remained in his seat. "You can drop the act now, Godwin."

"So you did figure it out." Rex's breathing was labored, sweat sheened on his forehead, his artificial arm crackled with spreading corrosion.

"You did everything in your power to make yourself look like a card-carrying villain right out of a Saturday Morning Cartoon; up until the end, the only conclusion I could imagine was that you were finally showing your true colors."

"Oh, but I was." Godwin hacked and coughed, wiped the blood from his collar with his human hand. "I did want to win, I did want that power, I wanted that security to know that I could make everything work out the way I wanted it to." Godwin shook his head, skin flaked off of his face. "But, the rational part in me prevailed; this was the only way to shut down Divine's sabotage, and in order for you to duel at your fullest, I had to become the villain, to become the locus of your hate and fury; anything less, and I might have won." Godwin shuddered, brought his crumbling artificial hand to his side to stem the bleeding. "Now the villain is slain, the heroes will emerge from the final dungeon, and the future will have a chance to take root."

"Godwin…" There wasn't much time; the strain of trying to command the power of Momentum had taken its toll on Godwin's body. "What you said about Rally…"

"A complete fabrication, I assure you; as we've just established, I am no god." Godwin slumped over, forced himself upright. Yusei emerged from the observation room. "Neither the father…nor the son, could stop a Godwin from having their way…" He smiled wanly, looking just to the left of Yusei. "Listen, both of you…Divine's killer is out there, and whoever it was, they knew about the dead man's switch, they knew about the message and the trap laid here…you have to find that person, and bring them to justice…I…go now to where my brother went…to where I will receive…my fate." Godwin collapsed in on himself, his body a lifeless husk.

Jack looked down. He felt Yusei's hand on his shoulder. "My father was impressed by your technique."

"So Jack Atlas can even awe the dead with his dueling, eh?" Jack shook his head. "Come on, we don't have time to waste here."

Yusei nodded, and they returned to the surface.


	50. Chapter 50

**Winds of Deception, Winds of Truth**

* * *

><p>"Come on Yusei, don't go yet!" Taka said, being supported in his drunken ambling by Nerve and Blitz. "There's still…still so much to do!"<p>

"That's what…" Yusei was interrupted by the fireworks that went off overhead. He waited. "That's what you said yesterday, and the day before."

"It's still true ain't it?" Nerve said, face red as he took another swig from the bottle in his free hand. "We've got to make up for lost time, don't we?"

"I do." Yusei rubbed his head in remembrance of how all this had started; the moment he and Jack had stepped out of Old Momentum, they were swept up in the arms of the crowd, cheering on the heroes that had slain the cruel tyrant that had been on the verge of sacrificing all their lives in the name of his Utopia.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe this." Rua had said after he and Ruka had gotten away from all the kids that had crowded around them. "We've got to pretend Godwin was a cartoon villain for the good of the city." The boy had his arms crossed, his face scrunched up.<p>

"I really can't believe how much you've grown up Rua." Ruka said, smiling at her brother.

"Hey, I had to catch up someday, right?" He laughed, gave Ruka a pat on the shoulder.

* * *

><p>"Seriously Yusei, relax for a change, you've earned it now." Blitz adjusted his glasses. "Let the politicians work it out from here, they know they can't mess with us anymore!" He swept his free arm out, conjuring enough power to pull Taka and Nerve along with him. "The future is ours Yusei, no one left to take it away from us!"<p>

* * *

><p>"How do we plan on finding the killer?" Jack had asked the night after his duel with Godwin. "Whoever it is, they're not going to be carrying a glowing neon sign proclaiming themselves the killer."<p>

"Remember what Godwin said." Yusei was seated in his bed, his old bed from when he and Jack were growing up in Martha's orphanage. "All five Signers were united against him, and the killer knew about the Deadman's switch."

Jack's eyes opened wide. "The Fifth Signer was Divine's killer…and a member of the Arcadia Movement?"

"Probably a spy sent in by Godwin who found the card, and decided to get rid of both of them." Someone like that, they'd likely be hiding with the rest of the Psychic Duelists after they escaped from Godwin's prison; how long they would wait and hide, Yusei had no way of knowing.

* * *

><p>"There you are Yusei." He looked over and saw Officer Nagisa approaching him and his drunken friends. "I would have gotten here sooner, but…" She shook her head. "Never thought I would be treated like a guest of honor at a Satellite party."<p>

"You have helped me more than once."

"Damn right!" All three of Yusei's friends said in chorus. "A friend of Yusei is a friend of the Satellite!" They laughed together.

Nagisa cleared her throat. "In any event, the boat is waiting for us, so we should get going."

"You heard her guys."

"Right." The three of them ambled off together, while Yusei and Officer Nagisa walked together in the opposite direction. They passed through thick crowds swept up in jubilation, the screams and shouts of songs only half-remembered, halting performances being read straight from scripts written on whatever scraps of paper they had on hand. Yusei kept his smile small, but everyone noticed all the same, offered him more drinks, companionship, advice and tips, questions and requests, the full gamut of all that the Satellite could give to one of its hailed heroes. Yusei's smile grew as he raised his hand, a cheer erupted all around him.

* * *

><p>"Come on guys!" Jaeger's son Kaoru grabbed Ruka and Rua's hands in his. "Come with us, you don't want to be stuck here in the Satellite any longer than you have to, right?"<p>

"We're not stuck here kid, we're staying with Yusei and Jack until they're ready to come back to the city." Rua said in a huffy tone.

"What have I told you about calling me kid?!" Kaoru withdrew his hand from Rua's and joined it with the hand on Ruka's. "Come on Ruka, talk some sense into your stupid brother, you're smart enough to do that, right?"

"Sorry Kaoru, but you won't get anywhere with me if you call Rua stupid." Kaoru looked downcast. "That's my job, you got that?" The impish boy laughed while Rua groaned.

Atsuko prodded Jaeger, Jaeger cleared his throat. "In all seriousness you two, if you would rather be part of my family instead of living in that empty apartment…"

"Thank you for the offer Mr. Jaeger, but that's our home." Ruka said, bowing to them.

"If you ever want to visit though, you're more than welcome to." Rua said, bowing in the same measure.

"We'll be busy for a while," Atsuko said, "but I'm sure we'll find the time."

* * *

><p>"About time you got here!" Jack yelled as he came into sight. "The crew's been bugging me about dueling with them, even though I've already beaten them twenty times each!"<p>

"Only twenty?" Yusei smirked.

"That's cause Ruka's been dueling too, and just as good!" Rua's beaming smile could be spotted from orbit

"Better watch out Jack, sounds like Ruka's going to take your title back before you."

"Not that fast Yusei, I'm still going to school, remember?" Ruka said.

"No rush, I need to be there for Mikage's physical therapy after all." Jack said.

Yusei and Nagisa stepped onto the boat and within moments the engine was pushing them to the shining coast of Neo-Domino City. For so long that distant coastline was a far-off dream for Yusei, and now he was regularly travelling from one side of the divide to the other…Yusei looked out at the ocean, wondered at whether it would ever be possible for the two halves to become one once again; the city's exploitation of the Satellite, the resentment that built up from that…even with Godwin gone, could the damage be undone?

The boat pulled into the docks, there was only one Security Officer waiting for them. "You be careful now; Security Forces are spread thin and the chain of command is strangling itself trying to figure out who's in charge now."

"I think we'll manage." Officer Nagisa said, then she turned to the twins. "If you would come with me, I'll take you back to your apartment."

Rua was about to say something when Ruka yawned, pointed at the sun low on the horizon. "I suppose we should, but first thing in the morning we're heading out with Yusei and Jack to find the Fifth Signer."

"Looking forward to that." Jack said as he mounted his D-Wheel. "I'll be visiting Mikage, so I probably won't get any searching done tonight."

"Then it looks like I'll be alone." Yusei smiled at his friends, at the twins. "Hold down the fort for me?"

"You bet!" Rua said, and then he got into Nagisa's car with Ruka. Yusei got onto his D-Wheel, and together the three of them drove off, splitting up almost immediately.

Yusei rode down the empty streets, looked at the empty cars parked alongside the road, saw the lights turn on as the sky grew darker. He felt the wind whipping around him, breathed in the cold air. He accelerated, took the corners tightly, watched the world around him blur.

"Yusei!" He looked down into the monitor on his D-Wheel, someone had contacted him. "Yusei, are you there? It's me, Akira!" Yusei took a moment to remember the young man from the Arcadia Movement, the one Divine had placed before Aki to keep him and anyone else away from her. "I've found him, I found the one who killed Divine!"

Yusei's eyes widened. "Who…how? And…how did you…?"

"He…he's been hiding us in his mansion, the former members of the Arcadia Movement; I didn't know, I only found out a little while ago, I overheard him talking to someone about how they're both out of the way, Divine and Godwin…hurry Yusei, he's catching up to me!" His D-Wheel's monitor displayed a roadmap of the city, and a beeping icon appeared to indicate Akira's position. Yusei charted his course and pursued it, the urgency overpowering the sensation of speed, every second feeling like a crawl. Each tick of the D-Wheel's internal clock, each blip that brought him closer to Akira's position.

"You shouldn't have run like that, Akira." There was another voice…Divine's killer? The voice was high but slow, the speaker was controlled and bitter in their tone. "You've only made things worse for yourself."

"I'm not running, I swore I'd never run away again." Yusei pulled around the corner and saw them; Akira was ahead on a red D-Wheel, and behind him was…a kid? "I lured you out to the one who could stop you!" The kid turned his head, his hair was styled almost exactly like Divine's. He was riding some sort of skateboard with a cord connecting it and his Duel Disc, but even with the momentum-engine on the back it shouldn't have been possible for him to have kept up with Akira, much less chase him down.

"Yusei Fudou." The boy scowled, spat on the ground as he came to a stop, Akira stopped too. "I was wondering when you were going to drag yourself out of the Satellite."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Sly." Divine, Sly, fake names, similar hair, that look in his eye…

"Were you the one who killed Divine?"

"Why not?" Sly scowled. "The bastard deserved it didn't he?"

"He was detained, and in a coma." Yusei felt his arm itch, his Dragon Birthmark was twisting in his arm. "And you stole the Fifth Dragon, didn't you?"

"I did not steal it, it was rightfully mine, the same as your Stardust Dragon." A baleful crimson aura emanated from the purple-eyed boy's body. "Hand it over to me Yusei, before I use my power on you." Yusei looked at Akira's D-Wheel, saw the tell-tale signs of damage incurred from a Psychic Duelist's power. For him to have overpowered Akira's strength…

"This ends now." Yusei revved his engine. "Whatever game you're playing at, I'm putting a stop to it."

"Game?" Sly snorted. "Children play games, and I am no child." Sly took a card out from his deck, Yusei raised his arms in front of his face to block the wind. "You will give me my Stardust Dragon, now!"

"If you really think it's yours, than you should be able to win it from me in a duel." Yusei looked to Akira, Akira nodded.

"Then so be it." Sly powered up his…Duel-Board, Yusei supposed he would call it, and he felt the wind gathering around the boy. "Just remember Yusei, if you can't keep up with me, it's the same as a forfeit!" Sly took off, Yusei followed, Akira brought up the rear while silently broadcasting the duel to everyone within range; with any luck, Yusei could guide their path past Jack or the Twins. "I take the first turn, and I summon Gusto Egul in defense position." A small green bird appeared behind Sly, a suit of green armor and a silver breastplate adorned with a silver whirlwind inside. "This is the beginning of your defeat Yusei, the defeat you could have avoided if you'd just surrendered and walked away; I set three cards and end my turn."

"Turn 2, Yusei Fudou: 4000 life points, Sly: 4000 life points."

"Why do you want the Stardust Dragon?" Yusei drew his card. "You already have your Dragon, what do you need with mine?"

"I already told you, it was mine to begin with, that's all you need to know."

Yusei took a breath. "All right, let's take a step back," he said as they took a turn to the right. "Why did you want to kill Divine so badly? What did he do to you?"

"You really want to know? How about you take down my monster and maybe I'll start talking."

Yusei studied Sly's field, how the level 1 Gusto Egul had only 400 defense points. "I summon Quillbolt Hedgehog and attack with it." Yusei's monster launched itself through the air and rammed into Gusto Egul; Sly's monster recoiled and impacted on the ground, breaking apart as a gust of wind gathered around Sly.

"Gusto Egul's effect activates, allowing me to special summon a level-4 or lower non-tuner Gusto monster." The wind hammered the ground to the left of Sly. "Come forth, Musto Oracle of Gusto." A tall man in white and green robes, a staff with leaves growing out of it, his hand raised as though about to speak. "Take a look, see what you find Yusei."

1800 attack points, Wind Attribute…"Psychic type?" Despite them being called Psychic Duelists, there had only been one member of that organization who'd made use of Psychic Type monsters in his deck.

"I was supposed to be his secret weapon, the hidden blade that would take Divine down in case you failed…but before that could happen, Divine had found out the truth, and he decided he would get his use out of me." Sly shuddered, the wind howled with high-pitched frenzied screams. "Once he was done with me, he had me expunged from his records and had me removed, but not before I pulled one over on him; he was careless, he left his mind open to me, and so I knew where the Fifth Dragon was, and during your attack, I snuck back in and stole it." Sly smiled. "I just wish I could have gotten him to wake up for just a moment, just long enough to see the look on his face when I used his trump card to end his worthless life, same as I wish I could have seen Godwin's face when he had to die at the hands of Divine's trap."

"I see." Yusei looked up at the buildings they were driving past, compared them against his mental map; the hospital and the twins were both far from their current position. "I set two cards and end my turn."

"Turn 3, Yusei Fudou: 4000 life points, Sly: 4000 life points."

Yusei pictured it in his head, he would accelerate and hooked to the right of Sly, forcing him to turn left and thus putting them on the path to his friends. "Y-Yusei!" Akira was shaking on his D-Wheel; his manner said that he was unfamiliar with the vehicle, and the damage it had taken wasn't helping. Yusei drove over to him. "Keep calm, focus." Sly turned to the right, Yusei and Akira followed.

"How pitiful." Sly drew his card. "You still don't grasp the danger you're in if you think you have time to help that worthless peon. Allow me to show you the error of your ways as I summon Gusto Squirro, my level 2 Tuner monster." A green squirrel appeared on Sly's shoulder, leaped onto Musto's back. "I now tune my level 4 Musto to Squirro." Two rings, four stars. "My enemies shall bring down their own destruction, the rising wind blows at my back! Synchro Summon! Descend, Daigusto Sphreez!" A girl with green that turned red hallway through, a staff with a cloud at the end, eyes a blank pale red and 2000 attack points. "When Daigusto Sphreez is Synchro Summoned, I can return a Gusto card in my grave back to my hand, so I'll be taking back Gusto Egul, and with my two remaining monsters I activate Contact with Gusto." Coils of wind whipped about, cracking the road, the walls, the street lights. Yusei guided Akira through that gauntlet. "By returning Squirro and Musto in my grave to my deck, I choose one card you control and destroy it, so I'll get rid of the face-down card to the right."

"Then I activate my Quick-Spell card, Double Cyclone; by chaining it, I'll destroy my own card and one of yours at the same time!" Sonic booms threatened to rupture his eardrums, Yusei closed his eyes as the wind crept up under his visor. "Sly! You jeopardized the safety of the city to get rid of Godwin…do you really want Stardust that badly?"

"Of course I do Yusei…you don't understand…you think you've suffered, you have no idea what my life has been like." Sly took a left turn. "You know what it's like to have something taken from you, people stolen from you, but you've never, ever had anyone abandon you, walk away from you and refuse to explain why." Sly paused, his breathed seethed. "For years now I've dreamed, in my dreams I see the one that sacrifices itself endlessly and always revives, and when I watched it, when I saw your duel against the Black Rose Witch at the Fortune Cup, I knew that my dream spoke the truth." Sly turned in place to face Yusei. "I will take Stardust from you, and all the rest, and no one will dare abandon me again. I end my turn."

"Turn 4, Yusei Fudou: 4000 life points, Sly: 4000 life points."

Yusei drew his card; why didn't Sly attack? Had he seen the card that he'd destroyed with Double Cyclone? "I summon Junk Synchron and tune Quillbolt Hedgehog to it." Three rings, two stars. "The stars come together to call forth a new power! Become the path that lights the way, Synchro Summon! Come, Junk Warrior!" Even without any level two monsters on the field to support it, Junk Warrior still had 300 more attack points than Daigusto Sphreeze; furthermore, it was apparent that his spells and traps depended on there being at least two Gusto monsters in his grave. "Junk Warrior, attack Daigusto Sphreeze!" Firing its jets, Junk Warrior sliced through the wind and hammered Daigusto Sphreeze square in the chest…no! Sly's monster spun its staff about, creating a barrier of wind.

"Daigusto Sphreeze can't be destroyed by battle, and furthermore…" The spiral of wind wrapped itself around Junk Warrior, spun it about. "…Any battle damage I would take in a battle involving a Gusto monster, is instead inflicted on you!" Junk Warrior crashed in a heap in front of Yusei.

"Yusei!" Akira reached out, and as he did Yusei felt a huge hand taking hold of his D-Wheel, balancing it.

Yusei nodded, continued riding after Sly with Akira at his side. "That's quite the monster you have there." Sly didn't know about the card in Yusei's grave, the one that had been destroyed with Double Cyclone, that much was clear; if he had, he would have attacked. "I end my turn."

"Turn 5, Yusei Fudou: 3700 life points, Sly: 4000 life points."

"My turn." Sly drew his card. "I summon Gusto Egul back to the field, in attack position." The small green bird preened, its wings spread wide. "I end my turn."

"Turn 6, Yusei Fudou: 3700 life points, Sly: 4000 life points."

Sly veered to the right, Yusei went over everything in his head, his suspicions and what Sly had presented to him. "My turn." Yusei drew his card. "I summon Road Runner in defense, switch Junk Warrior to defense, and set one card to end my turn."

"Turn 7, Yusei Fudou: 3700 life points, Sly: 4000 life points."

"You see Yusei?" Sly went straight through the intersection, Yusei realized where they were headed. "All you can do is follow after me, all you can do is cower before me until you give up." If they kept on this path, they were going to arrive at the site of the Fortune Cup, the Dueling Stadium. "You won't give up, you won't abandon me, not without losing your pride."

"When did they abandon you?" Sly just looked at him. "Your parents, when did they abandon you?"

"When I was still a child, when my powers first showed themselves; they left me alone with the hired help and a bank account to meet whatever needs they thought I'd have, and they never showed themselves again." Yusei put that one away, fit it in place with everything else. "But enough of that; now I summon Gusto Codor, a level three Winged Beast." A condor with helmet and breastplate.

"I activate my trap card, Dust Tornado!" Another one of Sly's face-down cards was destroyed, leaving him with just one option.

The boy scowled. "I now tune Codor to my level 1 Gusto Egul." One ring, three stars. "The surging wind of my rage, my fury shall feed on itself to grow even stronger! Synchro Summon! Descend, Daigusto Falcos!" A girl rode on the back of a giant green falcon, and with the beats of its wings it threatened to turn over Yusei and Akira on their D-Wheels. "When Synchro Summoned, Daigusto Falcos increases the attack power of all Gusto monsters on the field by 600, raising Sphreez to 2600, and Falcos to 2000."

Yusei narrowed his eyes. "Why?" He'd gotten two Gusto monsters into the grave, but at the expense of Sphreeze's own effect. Was his remaining face-down card truly that powerful?

"Because it doesn't matter, you're hopeless now Yusei, there's nothing you can do." What was going on? "I end my turn."

"Turn 8, Yusei Fudou: 3700 life points, Sly: 4000 life points."

Yusei drew his card. "Let's see where this path takes us." Yusei took out the first card from his hand. "I summon the level 1 Changer Synchron, allowing me to special summon Quillbolt Hedgehog back from my grave." Yusei's monsters hovered overhead. "I now tune Roadrunner and Quillbolt Hedgehog to Changer Synchron to Synchro Summon Armory Arm and change Falcos to defense position." The clawed gauntlet equipped itself to Junk Warrior, which stood up in attack position while Falcos shrank in on itself. "Then, I equip Junk Warrior with Junk Barrage, and attack Falcos." Junk Warrior reached out with a great claw of fire and incinerated Falcos and its rider. "Armory Arm inflicts damage equal to the destroyed monster's attack power, while Junk Barrage inflicts half that." With Falcos's 2000 attack points, that meant a total of 3000 points of effect damage, damage that Sphreeze could do nothing about. "What now Sly?

"I'll kill you!" His voice turned a piercing shrill. "I'll kill you like I killed Divine, like I orchestrated Godwin's death! I activate my trap card Blessings for Gusto, returning Codor and Falcos to my deck to special summon Egul back from my grave!"

"Turn 9, Yusei Fudou: 3700 life points, Sly: 1000 life points."

Sly drew his next card. "I now sacrifice Egul to summon Reeze the Whirlwind of Gusto!" A younger version of Sphreeze appeared on the field. "I activate Reeze's effect, sending one card from my hand to the bottom of my deck to switch control of one Gusto monster I control with one monster you control, and the two monsters are Reeze and your Junk Warrior!" Reeze brought her hands together and fired a column of wind at Junk Warrior, then dived into that wind tunnel as it pulled Junk Warrior down the opposite way. "Your power is mine Yusei, and soon Stardust will be with me where it belongs!" Junk Warrior raised its arm. "You see Yusei, I'm going to kill you!"

"No, you won't." Yusei looked into the boy's eye. "You're not going to kill me, and you didn't kill Divine."

"What?!" Akira gaped. "But Yusei," The Duel Stadium consumed more of their field of vision, "I heard him say he did it, I heard him scheming with someone else, remember?"

"You've been holding back this entire duel, you've been refusing to attack, even when there was no danger to you; no one who has it in them to kill their opponent would duel that way."

"Say what you will, but you're about to lose, now!" Junk Warrior gripped Reeze's entire body in a claw of fire.

"I activate Scattered Caltrops from my grave!" The fire claw opened up, giving Reeze room to breathe.

"What the…when did that happen?!" His exposed eye was bugging out.

"Back when I'd activated Double Cyclone in response to your Contact with Gusto. You're not a good duelist Sly, you haven't paid attention to anything I've been doing, my hand, my field, my grave. Now, Scattered Caltrops effect." A spray of metal shot out from Reeze and into Junk Warrior. "When a monster I control is attacked, I can remove Scattered Caltrop in my grave from play to prevent that monster's destruction by battle, and until my next end phase the attacking monster's attack power is cut in half!" Junk Warrior dropped to its knees as they entered the duel stadium. Yusei, Akira, and Sly rode onto the track.

"Sphreeze, attack!" Yusei did not react as the damage registered, it would not be enough, Sly's power had no impact on him.

"Is that everything?" Sly examined the remaining card in his hand.

"I end my turn."

"Turn 10, Yusei Fudou: 2300 life points, Sly: 1000 life points."

Yusei drew his next card. "I reduce Reeze's level from five to four to special summon Level Eater in defense, and then summon Hyper Synchron, and I will tune Hyper Synchron to it." Four rings, four stars. "Clustering wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Stardust Dragon!" That strange and unearthly roar echoed in that stadium. "Look at it Sly; do you still think that Stardust belongs with you, that you're meant to have it?"

Sly shook in place, he checked himself before he fell down off his Duel Board. "You're full of it Yusei, where do you get off saying I didn't kill Divine?"

"You don't have a killer's heart." He saw Kiryuu. "You don't have it in you to pull off a plan like that." He saw Jack. "Your purpose here was never to defeat me, it was to get me to play as many of my cards as you could." Stardust Dragon flew up into the sky. "You did well at that, but this ends now!" Stardust Dragon unleashed its breath weapon onto the weakened Junk Warrior, and with the boost from Hyper Synchron's effect, it did enough damage to finish Sly off. His Duel Board slowed to a stop. The boy collapsed into unconsciousness, the cards from his deck scattering around him. Yusei and Akira stopped as well.

Akira walked up to him, checked his pulse. "Do you really mean it Yusei? Wa-was he lying about everything?"

"Not everything." Yusei picked up Daigusto Sphreeze. "He was abandoned, taken advantage of, and he did believe that the Stardust Dragon would bring him peace." Yusei put the card back in Sly's deck, saw something in his sleeve.

"So then, if he didn't kill Divine, then was it the other person, the one he was talking to?" Yusei pulled up on Sly's sleeve, found an armband with a red gemstone, a crimson gemstone that crumbled away as he looked at it.

Yusei got up, looked Akira in the eye. "There was no other person." Akira was silent. "You managed to overhear a conversation in which Sly declared he'd killed Divine days after the fact, to someone who would have already known that? You discovered this just as I was returning to the city? You managed to find me, just happened to force me to turn away from my friends?" Yusei returned to his D-Wheel. "That armband, it's just like something that was used on Rua; where did you get that?"

Akira sighed. "You figured it all out so quickly Yusei." His tone became confident and focused, his posture tall and imposing, his expression satisfied, everything changed, became familiar. "I made it of course; I needed to be able to see how your deck currently functioned, what changes you might have made to it, and I'm glad I did."

"What's going on Akira? Why are you doing this? Is it revenge for Divine?" Yusei shook his head. "No, you'd dueled Jack, that can't be right."

"And it isn't Yusei." Akira took out his deck, started shuffling it. "Since I'm going to have to duel you with my full power, I suppose I should reveal my true form to you." As Akira shuffled the cards, with the sight of each flip, the sound of each flap…a card shaped, card sized piece of Akira fell away from his body onto the ground, disintegrated. Bit by bit, piece by piece they fell away from him until he was finished shuffling. "Well Yusei? Shall we begin?" He gaped in horror at the sight before him, felt every nerve in his body surge with power, every fiber of his being demanded that he strike out against the man before him.

"Divine."


	51. Chapter 51

**Divine Rebirth, Divine Retribution**

* * *

><p>"Rua!" He heard his sister's voice, ran to her room. "Call Officer Nagisa, we have to go, now!" She was gripping her arm, her Dragon Birthmark was burning brighter than Rua had ever seen before in his life, the energy overflowing the room in shimmering waves. "Yusei's in danger!"<p>

"Right!" Rua ran down the stairs, lost his balance and recovered it in the same moment, he barely heard the dial tone of the phone over the beating of his heart. "Officer Nagisa, you need to get here, now!"

* * *

><p>"Damn it!" Jack slammed his fist down on the table, the light from his Dragon Birthmark spiking with his outburst.<p>

"I suppose we'll have to pick this up another time Jack." Mikage sighed. "It would have been nice for this to have happened after I'd gotten my new legs."

"Fear not." He produced the Trust Guardian card from his coat pocket. "You'll be keeping me safe and sound, just like always."

* * *

><p>"Miyuki, can we go any faster?" Aki watched as the skyline of Neo-Domino City grew and filled more of her field of vision.<p>

"Aki, are you certain we have to?" Miyuki had her eyes on the engine, she'd been hovering on the limits of what it could endure since the start of the day.

"Divine…he's after Yusei." Aki gripped her arm, contained the pain that demanded release.

Miyuki accelerated without a word.

* * *

><p>"Yes Yusei, I am Divine." He clapped slowly, the man that had been wearing Akira's skin. "It feels like it's been months since last we'd met, since last we dueled, since last you'd put me into that coma." Divine smiled throughout, ethereal.<p>

"How are you…where is Akira?!" Yusei stepped forward, Divine stepped back, spread his arms out.

"Akira is right here, Yusei, his soul is still in its body if that's what you mean." Divine grinned. "He is simply asleep, coiled up like a child wrapped in layers and layers of soft cotton, gently rocked by a soft hand." Divine kept his distance from Yusei. "Don't you think he deserves that, after everything he's been through?"

"After everything you've put him through, Divine, everything you made him do." Yusei lunged after Divine, he jumped back and away across the half-repaired damage to the track, the damage that Aki had caused in their duel. "You exploited him and everyone else in the Arcadia Movement, they needed help and you used them!" Another lunge, another jump, they were halfway to where Jack and Aki had dueled.

"Of course I did Yusei; I wanted control of the city, and as I saw it, the Psychic Duelists who had been abandoned, rejected, spurned by this very city were exactly the people I needed to achieve that ambition." He angled his feet, walked up the stairs to the dueling platform. "Being the third greatest Psychic Duelist in the world it was easy for me to reach out to them, tell them whatever they needed to hear so that they would know that I was the only one who could understand them, who could take their pain and turn it back on the ones that had hurt them so."

"Third greatest?" Yusei shook his head, refused to be distracted. "How did you fake your death?" Divine's grin threatened to split his face in half. "Tell me! Who was it that was killed in the Detention Center?!"

"I was Yusei…or to be precise, I almost was." He shuddered, closed his eyes. "I'd felt it for just a moment, felt my chest cave in and hollow out, felt the blood in my body spill out through nothing but inertia and gravity; it was intense beyond anything I could have imagined, but I was prepared, and I kept the killing hand steady."

Yusei felt his throat dry out, beads of sweat burning across his scalp. "You?" Divine nodded as he took his position, the position where Aki stood in her duel against Jack. "You used Akira's body."

"If only you hadn't turned away when you'd defeated me, you would have seen my soul traveling to my chosen vessel." Divine chuckled. "Of course, this was not a trivial task, I can assure you; it took months of preparation and conditioning, trial and error in order to condition Akira's body to be a vessel to my soul, and with Jack's tampering from their duel I had no certainty that it would work at all." Divine armed his duel disc. "In fact, for a moment I thought I'd failed." Divine shook, shuddered. "I stood before them Yusei."

"Them?"

"The Gods, the arbiters of judgment over the human soul; they towered over me, looked down on me, took the heart that I'd thought I'd destroyed and put it on a scale against a single white feather. The sound of the scale slamming against the ground, the feather fluttering up into the air…oh, I felt the malice of the Gods, they did not like me at all…their jealousy was such an ugly thing."

"Jealousy?" Yusei arced his eyebrows, felt his jaw drop.

"Oh yes, the Gods knew that I was dangerous, that I was on the verge of surpassing them; needless to say, it was a very good thing for me, and thus for all humanity, that my soul anchored itself in Akira's body, just like I'd hoped.

"You can't be real." Yusei shook his head. "You say you saw the weight of your sins, and you were proud of it?" Yusei armed his duel disc. "You won't escape justice again Divine, everything about you will be exposed."

"Everything Yusei?" Divine chuckled as he drew his cards. "Surely not everything; surely not the part where I was the one who'd programmed the Old Momentum system all those years ago to go out of control instead of Godwin, who went through all that trouble to make himself into the villain that this city needed to move on. Surely you wouldn't expose the fraud that you and Jack were all part of, would you?"

Yusei slammed his foot down where Jack had, drew the cards from his deck in a sweeping motion. "I summon Shield Warrior in attack position, and activate One-Shot Booster's effect to special summon itself to the field in attack position, and then I set three cards to end my turn!"

"Turn 2, Yusei Fudou: 4000 life points, Divine: 4000 life points."

"Such a transparently telegraphed strategy Yusei; two weak monsters in attack position, you think to bait me into summoning a more powerful monster to trigger your traps for you." Divine drew his card. "You still hold to your past Yusei, you still allow it to constrain you, limit your options; you've changed somewhat, but the core of your deck remains the same."

"And you're different?"

"Of course Yusei; I am Divine, I am the Alpha and the Omega of my own being, whatever change or growth I need to achieve my goals I will undergo without hesitation or fear. To demonstrate this, to show you that my soul is mine to command, I will summon D.D. Telepon in defense position." A flash of light, and the world…opened, a machine came through that opening, a gust of wind as the portal closed, the machine turned its head to look at Yusei with its camera eyes. Looking into those eyes, Yusei felt the gaze of a human being on him. "D.D. Telepon has only 500 attack points, less than the total attack power of your two monsters, insufficient for you to activate your Card of Sacrifice." Yusei was silent. "Now then, I'll go ahead and set two cards to end my turn."

"Turn 3, Yusei Fudou: 4000 life points, Divine: 4000 life points."

"You've become arrogant Divine…no, this is hubris." Yusei drew his card. "You are still only human, something you will understand when I've defeated, when I've forced you out of Akira's body and back to the other side where you belong! I activate Tuning and add Road Synchron to my hand and send the top card of my deck to the grave. Then I summon Road Synchron and tune both my monsters to it." Four rings, four stars. "Gathering hopes will evoke a new horizon! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Dash onward, Road Warrior!"

"Same as before Yusei, but you can't help that; after all, you won last time, or at least you thought you had, and either away it had the same effect on your ability to grow and improve."

"Road Warrior's effect!" Yusei's monster laid down the track for Quillbolt Hedgehog to appear on. "And now I activate my trap card Graceful Revival and special summon The Calculator from my grave."

"Which you'd sent to the grave with Tuning of course." Divine nodded. "Please Yusei, do something of material difference from before, I went through a lot of trouble to set this duel at the appropriate stage." Divine looked past Yusei, at Sly's still unconscious body.

"Him too, you'll pay for what you did to him." Yusei thrust his hand out, pointed at Divine's monster. "Road Warrior, attack!" The golden monster was already in motion, responding to the fury in Yusei's heart.

"Trap card activate, Past Image." Everything turned sepia, they stood near some train tracks. "When I control a Psychic Type monster, I can remove from play one monster you control until the next standby phase." Divine snapped his fingers, and the color flowed out of the world, taking Road Warrior with it. They stood in that gray, black and white gradating into one another, and then the color came back. "Time Yusei, time is everything, and I've devoted far more of my time to this moment than you can imagine."

"I doubt I would ever want to." Yusei looked over at The Calculator; with Road Warrior gone, without its 8 levels to add into the calculation, it only had 1200 attack points, insufficient to break through Divine's monster. "You're someone who threw away everything; you exist only for yourself, you see other people only as objects, as means and obstacles."

"Yusei, you've tinkered with engines and mechanical equipment all your life, pulling them apart and piecing them together to figure out how they work, how they could be improved, how to use them to achieve your goals." Divine took a card out from his hand. "The same with your cards, the expression of your soul; that you're not willing to think about it that way only holds you back Yusei." He turned the card over in his hand. "By discarding Time Escaper, I can remove D.D. Telepon from play until my next standby phase." A child appeared in the air, clad in ornamental green armor with thick glasses that concealed their eyes; the child raised its arms, and a pillar of light shot up from the ground and through D.D. Telepon. "When D.D. Telepon is on the field and removed from play, I select a Psychic monster from my deck with 1500 attack points or less, and remove that monster from play as well." Light shined from D.D. Telepon's eyes, projecting the image of another monster, one that vanished with it as Time Escaper fell to the ground, rotted away, rusted away, blew away in the wind. "As we exceed our cards, so too do I exceed you and all others too weak to be useful to me."

"Is that why you went through the effort of separating me from my friends? Why you tried to bring me down to your level?" Divine ceased smiling. "You know that can't be done." Yusei raised his arm, exposed the steady glow of his Dragon Birthmark.

"Turn 4, Yusei Fudou: 4000 life points, Divine: 4000 life points."

Divine frowned, took a deep breath. "Yusei, you hurt me; you hurt me with your betrayal, with your refusal to join my side as you were supposed to, you hurt me by tampering with the other Signers and turning them against me, you hurt me when you defeated me, the pain I felt when I had no choice but to destroy my old body, my heart, just to survive and see my dreams come to fruition…" Divine smiled. "I will enjoy visiting all that hurt back onto you Yusei, forcing you to submit to my truth." Divine drew his card, the world rippled all around them; Road Warrior, D.D. Telepon, and the monster chosen by D.D. Telpon's effect, a pale lime-haired boy with a visor over his eyes, all appeared back on the field. "When Mental Seeker is special summoned from having been removed from play, I activate its effect to look at the top three cards of your deck." The top three cards of Yusei's deck flew out into the air of their own accord. "Junk Synchron, Tuning Supporter, and Nitro Synchron…now Mental Seeker's effect will remove Junk Synchron from play and shuffle the other two cards back into your deck." Yusei's deck shuffled itself automatically. "Then I summon Silent Psychic Wizard from my hand." The wind died, Yusei's pulse died, all sound died as Divine's monster stepped into being. "When normal summoned, Silent Psychic Wizard selects one Psychic Monster in my grave and removes it from play." Silent Psychic Wizard closed its eyes and tapped its staff on the ground, ripples of light emanating out in place of sound; Time Escaper reappeared and vanished just as quickly. "Now, I will tune my level four Silent Psychic Wizard and my level two D.D. Telepon to my level three Mental Seeker." Three rings, six stars. "Be as a storm, foreboding and furious! Become the vessel of my rage! Synchro Summon! Descend, Mental Over Demon!"

A shimmering aurora danced in the sky above; the spectrum of light split apart to reveal the metallic winged demon, strange orbs embedded in its wrists and wings. Mental Over Demon spread its wings out, traced a circle in the air with its claws. "Once per turn," Divine said, "Mental Over Demon can choose one Psychic Monster in my grave and remove it from play." An identical circle of light appeared next to the first. "Furthermore, when Silent Psychic Wizard is sent from the field to the grave, I special summon the monster it removed from play." The two circles passed through one another, returning Time Escaper back to reality while D.D. Telepon left the grave, left the cycle of life and death. "And now, with its 3300 attack points, Mental Over Demon will be attacking your Road Warrior." Energy shot up from the orbs on Mental Over Demon's body, forming a shining mandala that shot itself into Road Warrior.

"Trap card activate, Defense Draw!" The damage stopped with Road Warrior. "And I remove Shield Warrior in my grave from play!" The damage stopped before it had even reached Road Warrior. "Attack me all you like Divine, you'll only hurt yourself."

"Will I now?" Divine pointed to Time Escaper, the boyish monster turned to face him. "Attack Quillbolt Hedgehog." The monster nodded and flew up into the face of Yusei's monster; even with only 800 attack points, Quillbolt Hedgehog was still stronger than Time Escaper's 500, and so it was destroyed for 300 damage. "Now that I have fewer life points than you, I can activate my trap card, Psychic Trigger." A brain in a jar reached out with a syringe, hooking right in the back of Divine's neck. "I now remove Time Escaper and Silent Psychic Wizard in my grave from play to draw two cards." Divine did so, the syringe withdrew itself after collecting the two monsters from his mind. "I hurt myself, true, but only a scratch, because you kept such weak monsters around; had you kept only Road Warrior and The Calculator, your useful cards, this would not have been possible." Yusei frowned. "Now then, I'll set two cards and end my turn."

"Turn 5, Yusei Fudou: 4000 life points, Divine: 3700 life points."

Yusei drew his next card, constructed the path in his mind. "I summon Level Warrior from my hand, then activate Road Warrior's effect to special summon Turbo Synchron from my deck." With that, Turbo Synchron became a ring of light to gather five stars from Level Warrior and Quillbolt Hedgehog. "Gathering bonds weave a greater force! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Turbo Warrior!" The red armored monster spun in place while The Calculator crunched the numbers, its attack power increasing to 4800.

"Again Yusei?" Divine smiled as he looked upon Yusei's latest monster. "You'd summoned that one as well Yusei; do you mean to say that you really think you can repeat your old strategy against me, and still win?"

Yusei took the card from his hand, put it in his spell/trap slot face up. "Now I equip Road Warrior with Fighting Spirit." Yusei's monster became equal in strength to Divine's, he would not get a second attack on him. "The Calculator, attack Mental Over Demon!"

"Let me show you Yusei," The Calculator gathered the precise sum of energy over its body, "how foolish you are to cling to what worked in the past; permanent trap card activate, Suspended Present!" Mental Over Demon glowed with a pale gray aura. "When I control a Psychic Type monster, and have at least two Psychic Type monsters removed from play, I can target a monster of equal attack power or less than my Psychic monster and remove that monster from play so long as Suspended Present remains on the field." The gray aura spread out past The Calculator and enveloped Road Warrior, breaking down its spirit, leaving it listless and lifeless until the aura separated it from all existence. "Had I kept my Time Escaper, I would never have been able to do that; do you understand, now that I've shown you how to handle the weak under your control?"

Yusei watched as The Calculator's attack continued; with Road Warrior's levels lost again, it dropped down to 2400 attack points, the energy of its attack was absorbed by Mental Over Demon's mandala and then torn apart for 900 points of damage, shrapnel scattered everywhere. Several pieces tore through Yusei's legs, blood trickled down his calves and thighs. "You're right Divine, you really are only the third strongest Psychic Duelist; Aki's power was far more devastating." Yusei grinned. "Furthermore, I still have Turbo Warrior, and its effect will cut Mental Over Demon's attack power in half." Turbo Warrior lit up its jets, positioned itself for the launch…

"Trap card activate, Bright Future." Everything became brighter, the colors clearer, the sounds crisper, Yusei tasted something that he knew and didn't know. "By returning two removed from play Psychic Monsters to the grave, in this case Time Jumper and Silent Psychic Wizard, I can then draw one card." Divine took the card as the reality of the present reasserted itself. "My soul is untouchable Yusei, it refuses your attempt to attack me; I activate the effect of Null Psychic Apostle in my hand." A lanky, withered figure in grandiose robes appeared before Turbo Warrior. "By removing it and one Psychic type monster in my grave from play, Time Escaper once more, I prevent my monster's destruction by battle or by card effect, an effect that doesn't target your monster and thus ignores Turbo Warrior's immunity." Null Psychic Apostle transformed into a black sphere that surrounded Mental Over Demon; Turbo Warrior punched through, the fist travelling through that sphere and around its target, finding purchase in Divine's chest for 850 points of damage. "Have you anything left, Yusei?" Divine grinned, inhaled sharply through his nostrils.

"I set one card, and end my turn."

"Turn 6, Yusei Fudou: 3100 life points, Divine: 2850 life points."

Divine drew his card. "I activate Mental Over Demon's effect a second time, removing Mental Seeker in my grave from play." Divine's monster traced the circle in the air, spun it about, folded it in on itself with Mental Seeker's image within it. "Next, I summon Serene Psychic Witch." A pink haired woman appeared, a dead look in her eyes. "Following that, I activate my spell card Psychic Annihilation." The woman's eyes came to life. "By destroying one Psychic monster I control, I can destroy one spell or trap that you control." Divine's monster twisted in place, skin cracking, bones breaking, power overflowing, power leaving behind a withered and empty vessel. "I'll destroy the card you just set." That rampaging power fell down on Yusei's Scrap-Iron Scarecrow, hammering it into the ground before shattering it irreparably. "Furthermore, when Serene Psychic Witch is destroyed and sent to the grave, I select a Psychic monster from my deck with 2000 attack points or less, and remove that monster from play until the next standby phase, at which point it is special summoned to the field." Serene Psychic Witch reappeared as a specter, head down and eyes closed as it raised its hand to choose a card from Divine's deck. The card shot off into the sky while she sank back into the ground. "And with all that out of the way, I think I owe you for that last attack." Mental Over Demon constructed the energy mandala once again, shot it at Turbo Warrior; it wrenched and twisted Yusei's monster against itself, the spiraling junk cutting across Yusei's torso for 800 points of damage.

Yusei pressed his arm down on the wound. "I wonder Divine…have you ever dueled against Aki? Have you ever felt even a shadow of the pain that you've inflicted on your enemies?"

"Many times, Yusei." Yusei's eyes widened. "In the beginning, when I had few members, I was the only one who could properly assess and develop Aki's strength…and of course, by taking care of that personally, I showed Aki that I could take her curse, that she could not drive me away, that she could trust me above all others." Divine paused, watched Mental Over Demon return to his side. "I take everything into consideration Yusei, not just the ideal path. With this, I end my turn."

"Turn 7, Yusei Fudou: 2300 life points, Divine: 2850 life points."

Yusei drew his card, and the monster removed by Serene Psychic Witch's effect appeared on the field, a half-cheetah with a massive mechanical claw on one arm. "I activate my spell card, One Day of Peace." A golden aura descended down on both Yusei and Divine. "We each draw one card, and neither of us will suffer any damage until the end of my opponent's next turn."

"So now neither of us can attack the other, is that it?" Divine shrugged his shoulders, drew his card as Yusei drew his. "Then I suppose I should fill this lull by sharing something with you." Divine extended his hand out to his D-Wheel; a compartment opened up and an orange flew to his palm. "You've had one of these, right? While you were staying with the twins, before the Fortune Cup?"

"I have."

Divine peeled the skin, took off a slice. "No doubt you thought to yourself how unjust it was that only the people of the city could eat like this, that you and yours had to make do with scraps and refuse thrown away by slovenly gluttons.

"When I defeat you, when I find out where you've hidden The Fifth Dragon, and when we've finally found the Fifth Signer, the Momentum System will reach its true potential and there won't be any divide any longer."

"That simple, that's what you think Yusei?" Divine took a bite of his orange. "Resentment runs deep Yusei; the downtrodden resent the powerful for holding them down, and those on top resent those they stand on in fear of the retribution they know they deserve." Divine took another bite. "Human beings in a mob, Yusei; in order for them to be united and stay united, everything of the past must be cleansed and washed away, leaving behind only those capable of sustaining themselves by their own power." Divine tossed the remains of his orange away. "Under my guidance, the utopia of the Arcadia Movement will be a reality."

"I trust you didn't think I would find that compelling." Yusei set his remaining card. "Your utopia is nothing more than your own delusional sense of self-importance. Take your turn Divine."

"Turn 8, Yusei: 2300 life points, Divine: 2850 life points."

Divine drew his card, an amused smirk on his face. "I now activate Genetic Woman's effect, and pay 1000 life points to return the removed-from-play Null Psychic Apostle back to my hand." Genetic Woman reached out with her massive claw and slashed the air in half, the Null Psychic Apostle flew through that hole before it closed and rejoined Divine's hand. "Now then, I'll activate the second Psychic Annihilation that I just drew, and destroy my Genetic Woman to destroy the card you'd just set." Genetic Woman snapped back with a loud crack, power rushing out of her empty body to hammer down on Yusei's face-down card.

"Trap card activate, Counter Destruction!" The power broke apart, split in half. "When a spell or trap card I control would be destroyed, I activate this card to destroy every spell and trap card on the field." Yusei's face-down Card of Sacrifice was obliterated along Divine's Suspended Present.

"Surely that's not all; after all, I can still destroy Road Warrior even with all damage negated."

"And you're absolutely right; for every card destroyed by Counter Destruction, I draw one card in turn." Yusei drew two cards, watched in silence as Mental Over Demon attacked and destroyed Road Warrior.

"Very good Yusei; all I have left now is to activate Mental Over Demon's effect and remove Silent Psychic Wizard in my grave from play." Mental Over Demon folded space and time in and over on itself for a third time. "Now you may take your turn Yusei." The golden aura around the both of them vanished, opening the both of them to harm once more.

"Turn 9, Yusei: 2300 life points, Divine: 1850 life points."

Yusei drew his card. "I'm ending this now Divine, and activate Synchro Remains; when I control no monsters while you control a Synchro Monster, I can remove from play all Synchro Monsters in my grave and draw one card for each one." The shadows of Road Warrior and Turbo Warrior appeared at Yusei's side. "I discard One-Shot Rocket to special summon Quickdraw Synchron, and then normal summon Tuning Supporter, allowing me to activate Machine Duplication and special summon two more Tuning Supporters from my deck, and then I tune them all to Quickdraw Synchron." Five rings, three stars. "Clustering wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Stardust Dragon!" Stardust Dragon took to the sky, and was swiftly joined by helicopters closing in, shining search lights down on Yusei and Divine. "With the effect of my three Tuning Supporters, I draw three cards," Yusei did so, "and with that, I activate De-Synchro!" An explosion of light, Stardust Dragon turned back into its material monsters, only to transform back a second later. "Now I draw three more cards."

"Yes, if I recall correctly, you did something very much like this in your duel against Aki at the Fortune Cup." Divine smiled. "More importantly, you've done something different against me; now with your dragon on the field, the duel can reach its proper conclusion."

Yusei narrowed his eyes. "I activate Monster Reincarnation and discard Turret Warrior to return One-Shot Booster back to my hand and then special summon it with its own effect. Then, I equip Stardust Dragon with United we Stand and Second Wind." Twin tornadoes gathered beneath Stardust Dragons wings. "United We Stand increases Stardust's attack power by 800 for every monster I control, and by removing all the Synchro Material Monsters in the grave from play, Stardust Dragon can attack twice in the battle phase." Quickdraw Synchron and the three Tuning Supporters leaped up through the tornadoes and joined with Stardust Dragon's body. "Now, Stardust Dragon, attack Mental Over Demon!"

"And I of course remove from play Null Psychic Apostle in my hand and Genetic Woman in my grave from play to prevent Mental Over Demon's destruction by battle." Divine stood undaunted by Stardust Dragon's attack, even as it brought him down by 800 life points.

"Stardust Dragon, attack again!" This time there was nothing to stop Mental Over Demon's destruction, Yusei braced himself; Mental Over Demon had removed from play the monsters used to summon it, and now he was about to find out why.

"When Mental Over Demon is sent from the field to the grave, its effect activates, special summoning all the monsters it had removed from play back to the field." D.D. Telepon, Mental Seeker, and Silent Psychic Wizard all appeared; Mental Seeker's effect activated, taking away Yusei's Change Synchron. "Well Yusei?"

"I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 10, Yusei Fudou: 2300, Divine: 450 life points."

Divine drew his card. "Well done Yusei, well done; you've played out your part in my plan expertly. True, it wasn't the ideal course that I'd wanted from the beginning, but I've still won, so I'm content with that."

"What are you talking about?" Stardust Dragon growled, bared its teeth at Divine.

"Despite all his resources, despite all those he had under his power, Godwin was unable to locate The Fifth Dragon." Divine's eyes glowed a moment. "How do you imagine I was able to achieve this feat while in a coma, with all my forces apprehended?"

"Sly…"

Divine shook his head. "No, that child could not be entrusted with something that important. Let me give you a hint though; If I'm the third most powerful Psychic Duelist, and Aki is first most, who do you think the second most powerful was, and what quality might that person have that would allow them to surpass me?"

"No…" Yusei shook his head; Akira's power, the strength that had killed so many in the battle at the Arcadia Movement, the power that had almost destroyed Jack…

"Oh yes Yusei." Divine brandished his arm, reached for the sleeve with the other. "I now tune D.D. Telepon and Silent Psychic Wizard to Mental Seeker." Three rings, six stars, Divine pulled down his sleeve, Yusei covered his eyes as everything became awash in a brilliant crimson light. "The very embodiment of God descends upon the Earth." Yusei's eyes adjusted to that light, saw the Dragon's Head on Divine's arm, Akira's arm. "All will submit to our power and rejoice." Divine took a card from his Extra Deck slot; it was the purple-bordered Gem-Knight Master Diamond. "Synchro Summon!" Just as with the article about Ruka and Rua's parents, the card changed, the border became white, and the monster pictured on it… "The advent of the highest glory, Messiah Dragon!" A thunderous crash, a four legged dragon with ten wings; two demonic, two angelic, two like a fairy's, two of rose petals, and two mechanical, scales like a prism that refracted the light, and on the dragon's brow a golden eye that peered into Yusei's soul.

"You…you disguised it as Akira's card." Yusei breathed hard, struggled to regain his balance. "Hayate, he never had the real card at all." Despite the zero attack power it possessed, Messiah Dragon's presence dwarfed him the way he dwarfed the Satellite Cockroaches.

"When You and Aki had dueled at the Arcadia Movement, the card had achieved its true form, and Akira's potential as the Fifth Signer was realized. "It wasn't easy concealing its true form after that, the power put into the card verges on the divine after all, but I managed all the same, and Godwin kept overlooking what he had, allowed the card to be stored with the rest of Akira's deck; I waited until I had Akira's consciousness fully subdued, convinced one of the guards to let me hold the card for just a moment…unlike mine, Akira's appearance is so plain and unassuming, his good behavior put everyone off guard. After that, I made my way to my original body, destroyed it, and got everyone to follow me; then I contacted Sly, had him fulfill the purpose I had for him, and now, here we are Yusei, in the eyes of the city, my victory over you at hand." Divine laughed. "So, let's start by activating Messiah Dragon's first effect, and discarding a Psychic Monster from my hand." The Messiah Dragon closed both its regular eyes, the golden eye loomed larger, larger still. "I skip my battle phase to inflict damage to you equal to one-half the attack power of one monster you control." The golden eye emitted a concentrated beam of golden light into Stardust Dragon's body.

Yusei watched his dragon turn around, look down at him with nothing but contempt in its eyes. It opened its mouth, unlashed its unearthly roar and the fury of its breath weapon; burns covered the entirety of Yusei's body, his muscles were drained, he could no longer stand. Sanity returned to Stardust Dragon, the monster was halfway to reaching out to Yusei before turning back to face its enemy. "Your turn, Yusei."

"Turn 11, Yusei Fudou: 250 life points, Divine: 450 life points."

Yusei felt his arm pulse. "My…turn." Yusei pushed himself up, felt the glow of his Dragon Birthmark intensify.

"Keep in mind Yusei, that when Messiah Dragon is attacked, I take no battle damage."

"I understand." Yusei brought himself up to one knee. "In order to save Akira, save everyone, and stop you before you can do anymore damage," Yusei put his fingers over the top card of his deck, "I will show you the power I can bring to bear!" He saw Rally with him, joining him in drawing his card.

"No." It wasn't Salvation Dragon – Savior Dragon. It was Final Attack. "The wings carry the dragon, the tail balances the dragon, the claws create and destroy, but it is the head of the dragon that commands the rest of the body, so if I do not wish you to draw that card, you will not." Divine grinned, the glow of his Dragon Birthmark so much brighter than Yusei's. "Like I said before Yusei, I've won.

"Not yet." Yusei steeled his resolve. "I activate Final Attack, doubling Stardust Dragon's attack power, but during the end phase it will be destroyed." Stardust Dragon swelled with strength. "Stardust Dragon, attack Messiah Dragon!" Stardust Dragon gathered its energy, creating a silver sphere like a second moon.

"I activate Messiah Dragon's second effect, removing from play one Psychic Monster in my grave from play to prevent it from being destroyed." Again Messiah Dragon closed its eyes, the image of D.D. Telepon was present in Messiah Dragon's golden eye as it projected a barrier that deflected Stardust's attack up into the heavens.

"Second Wind, allows me to attack again!" Yusei's vision blurred, but he was certain that the second monster that Divine removed from play to protect Messiah Dragon was Mental Seeker. "And now, I sacrifice One-Shot Booster to destroy Messiah Dragon." Now it was Silent Psychic Wizard that was wiped from the world to save Messiah Dragon. "And now, when Final Attack's effect would destroy Stardust Dragon, I sacrifice it to negate its own destruction." Stardust coiled in on itself, vanished from the world.

"Turn 12, Yusei Fudou: 250 life points, Divine: 450 life points."

"You think you're safe from Messiah Dragon's power, so long as your field is clear." Divine drew his card. "I'd indulge you, but I have other things to do today; entering the New Momentum Reactor, using the Fifth Dragon to make its power one with my own, realizing all my dreams…I'm sure you can understand Yusei." Divine swept his arm out. "I now activate Messiah Dragon's third effect, and return four Psychic monster that have been removed from play to my grave." Mental Seeker, Null Psychic Apostle, Silent Psychic Wizard, Genetic Woman all appeared in Messiah Dragon's vision. "This allows me to special summon one monster from your grave, ignoring the summoning conditions." Yusei felt something wrench inside his body as Stardust Dragon was taken from his grave, forced to Divine's side. "Then, I summon Esper Girl, and I'll have it attack first." A child really, she swung her staff at Yusei, only 500 attack points, and yet in his condition.

"I activate my trap card, Iron Resolve!" Half his life points gone, and one more attack left.

"So futile Yusei, such a disappointing finish to our conflict."

"I said it before." Yusei watched Stardust Dragon preparing its attack. "You still have the others…they will…" Stardust Dragon's attack consumed him, all consciousness was lost.

* * *

><p>"Yusei!" He heard Rally's voice shake as the boat rocked on the waves. "Yusei, help me!" Yusei had to devote energy to keeping his head above water, he couldn't risk breathing any in, swallowing any, any dripping down his mouth or nasal passages. He couldn't speak, couldn't yell, couldn't reassure Rally that he was almost there, that he would be saved from Jack's scheme…no! Rally's boat, it turned over! Yusei inhaled deep, filled his lungs, felt like he would burst if he took in anymore air, dived down into that murky water. Had Rally inhaled in time? Was he holding his breath? Would he be able to hold it long enough? He found him, there were air bubbles floating away from his mouth…no, they were just from the wake of his passage, that was all! Yusei reached him, took hold of the ropes wrapped around his chest and arms, pulled the child up to the surface.<p>

"You're okay!" Yusei yelled, using his remaining arm to pull them back to the docks. "You're fine!" Yusei shouted as they reached the docks. "You're waking up now!" Yusei screamed as he looked down at Rally's unmoving body, the lungs weren't moving, they weren't yearning for air the way his were. "Rally!" He remembered everything he'd read in Martha's medical books, he recalled the steps for CPR, he went down the line, he did them all exactly as he was supposed to.

He just…sat there, on his knees, the child that he and Jack had rescued, the child who'd admired him and Jack, who would do anything for them…Yusei gripped his head in his hand, felt the fresh heat of his tears travelling down his cheeks. Was he really scum? Was he really trash? Were he and everyone else in the Satellite that worthless? Jack…Jack was gone, he'd left him behind, he'd never given up on going to the city, and because of that…

"Rally!" Yusei gasped, got up, Rally's body, it was gone! Yusei looked around, who would take a child's body? Why?! He ran, Yusei ran, where was he, where were they, who were they, why?!

"Yusei." Yusei went around the corner, saw Kiryu, saw the blood on his hands, saw the body on the ground. "The security, he kept waiting for me to slip up, but I didn't Yusei, and now you have to help me get rid of him, before the rest of them get here!"

"Kiryu…" Yusei's stomach lurched. "Listen to me, Kiryu, you, you went too far…"

"What?" Kiryu snarled, pointed a blood soaked finger at Yusei. "How can you talk like that, he deserved it after what he and the rest of his bunch have done to us, not like that kid you were supposed to protect!"

What? "No, that's not, I'm not…"

"Yusei, if you betray me, everything we've worked towards will fall apart! We have to enforce our order, no matter what, do you understand me?!"

"Kiryu, no, I can't…" This wasn't…Yusei's head spun, he closed his eyes, took deep breaths…

"Thank you for turning your friend in." No, Yusei opened his eyes, saw the officer standing in front of him, in the background Kiryu was resisting, he was fighting back, he was losing, they weren't stopping. "Just keep your head down if you know what's good for you."

Yusei stumbled back and away, he kept a hand on the nearby wall as he recovered his footing. "Everyone…" He ambled along, head down.

"Everybody listen!" The MC? What was…no, that couldn't be! "Welcome, to the final match of the Fortune Cup!" He was on his D-Wheel, and on the track with him, Aki! "Today, The Black Rose Witch will be facing the so-called hope of the Satellite! Yusei Fudou, the man who failed to save his best friend, who failed to save the child entrusted to him, and will fail again in his self-proclaimed mission to help the champion of the Arcadia Movement!"

"No!" Yusei shook all over, his palms were soaking wet. "This isn't right, this isn't…"

"That's correct Yusei." Divine was standing before him. "This isn't what really happened, but it is rooted in your memories and your fears, all coiled and nestled together, the parts inseparable from the whole." Divine clapped his hands, everything vanished. "You see, Yusei, if I'd just simply killed you, then you would be standing before the Gods to receive their judgment, and that's not something I could allow." He smiled. "So I've trapped you forever in this hell I've constructed within your own mind, an ever-repeating nightmare that you can never awaken from."

"I will wake up."

Divine frowned. "Because your friends will defeat me?" Divine shook his head. "As I've just established, their powers as Signers are useless against me, I am to them as you are to normal people; all they can do is give up their cards to me." Divine flicked his wrist, the Stardust Dragon was there. "Just as you have." Divine turned around. "Farewell Yusei Fudou; you will never trouble me again."

Divine vanished, Yusei stood on the docks, Rally screamed for help, Yusei leaped in the water.


	52. Chapter 52

**Between Dreams and Nightmares**

* * *

><p>"Look at you." Sly was down on his knees as he looked over Yusei's unconscious body, at the cards from his deck scattered all around his body. "The best opportunity I could have ever asked for…tch, even if that bastard hadn't taken Stardust…" He closed his eyes, saw bits and pieces, saw Stardust Dragon flying overhead, saw its breath weapon destroying the Junk Warrior that he'd stolen, its power washing over him…that strength, he'd seen it in his dreams countless times ever since the Fortune Cup, that persevering strength that revived again and again and again…<p>

"You!" Sly looked up, saw a green-haired boy standing over him, nostrils flared and tears streaming down his eyes. "What did you do to Yusei?!" Sly felt himself being lifted off the ground, the boy's hands around his collar as he twisted and pulled. "Answer me!"

"That's right." The boy's sister, Ruka, came into view. "You, you're Rua." Sly sighed, looked him in the eye. "Another kid that Divine messed with." He looked past Rua, watched Ruka gather up Yusei's cards. "Sorry Ruka, I don't think we'll be dueling any time soon."

"Focus!" Rua shook him, his head flopped on his neck. "What did you do to Yusei, and where's Stardust Dragon, answer me!"

"Rua, that's enough!" They were both looking at her now; her hands were shaking, they were clenched around those cards. "Yusei's in a lot of pain, he needs our help."

"You're not just talking about his physical injuries, are you?" Sly looked over at the new voice, it was Jack Atlas, and with him a Security Officer. Ruka nodded at him.

"His cards…" Ruka's breathing was so shallow, her hands looked so slick as she put Yusei's deck back in his pocket. She gripped her hands together, wrung them; tears fell down onto them, Ruka was crying. "Divine, he…"

Rua screwed his face up, dropped Sly. He fell to the ground, hardly felt it as he watched Rua go over to Ruka, put his arm around her shoulder as he hugged her. "It's okay Ruka." Sly felt his heart clench. "Yusei's going to be okay." Sly felt something warm on his face. "He's really strong, way stronger than Divine." Sly wiped his arm over his face, over his nose. The sensation of his own snot on his sleeve paled before the self-loathing that was overflowing his body.

"No, he won't." Sly spoke like he was about to choke, he felt their eyes on him. "Divine, he punished Yusei." Sly felt their eyes on him. "I know what Divine did to him." Left alone, no one but servants paid to do the bare minimum and nothing more…he'd heard of the Arcadia Movement, he'd thought that he could find someone there…

There was a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay." He looked up, saw Ruka. "We've beaten Divine before, we'll do it again."

"So just what are we going to do?" The Security Officer said, Sly scarcely registered her voice, he was too busy trying to figure out what was going on inside of him.

Ruka let go of Sly's shoulder, there was no ache there. "I'm going to try to use my power to reach Yusei, help him wake up from Divine's nightmare." She looked at Rua. "I'm going to need your support."

"You got it." Sly felt a hitch in his breath.

"I'll help too." Sly stood back up. "It's barely anything, but I do have some power, and besides…" He looked Yusei's body over. "He didn't think I was…"

Rua let out a sigh, put his hand on Sly's shoulder, looked away. "You don't have to say, 'cause I was wrong to think that about you." Rua let go, Ruka brought out Ancient Fairy Dragon's card.

"All right, you guys take care of that." Jack jumped down from the dueling stage, ran for his D-Wheel on the track. "Officer Nagisa and I are going to track down Divine and stop him before he can get any further with his mad plot."

"I'll contact everyone I can, though Security is stretched thin as is." Officer Nagisa stopped at the door to her car, looked over at Jack. "Be careful, I got a report saying he shot down the helicopter that was following him."

"So he couldn't handle having the eyes of the city upon him?" Jack smirked as he got into his D-Wheel. "He's not ready to be King, much less a God."

"Rua, Sly, I'm going to start now." Ruka held the Ancient Fairy Dragon like a prayer talisman, Sly felt something happening. "Yusei, we're going to help, all of us." Sly saw the Ancient Fairy Dragon, saw images in its wings, people's faces, many faces, people all looking down at Yusei. He heard Jack and Officer Nagisa take off, saw Rua bring out his Power Tool Dragon. Sly followed suit with Daigusto Sphreez, he saw their monsters join with Ancient Fairy Dragon, he and Rua put their hands on Ruka's shoulders, and together they all watched her go where they could not follow.

* * *

><p>"Everyone!" Divine said, speaking into his D-Wheel's phone to reach the members of the Arcadia Movement that he'd sequestered away at Sly's mansion. "The time has come for us to strike; Godwin is dead, Security is fractured and bereft of leadership, Yusei is defeated and the Signers are divided; there is nothing standing between us and the Momentum Generator, nothing between us and our Utopia!" Speaking it aloud to his followers gave the situation a reality and weight it hadn't possessed before; years and years of careful planning, digging through the secrets of others and putting on all the various masks needed for every given situation. He paused, reminded himself that it wasn't over yet, that his prize was not yet in his hand; he rode along and reviewed all his myriad remaining plans, there were only so many moves left to play, could they really come up with something he hadn't considered? If they did, would he be able to adapt to that change? Of course he would; he would balance his caution and his confidence and come out ahead, as he always had.<p>

"Lord Divine!" He frowned at the sound of the panicked voice coming from the receiver. "We, can't get out!" Security forces? No, he knew what it was, he'd taken that risk and was paying for it.

"Focus on Hayate first." Hayate, Yua, Tsubasa, three of his strongest members; Hayate had dueled Jack while Yua and Tsubasa had faced Ruka. He wasn't able to personally condition and guide them the way he had with Akira, and so the Signers had been able to confuse them, lead them astray. Yua and Tsubasa were brother and sister, they lived for one another, attacking one would only prompt the other to defend them, but Hayate, though a comrade in arms, they would not be as quick with him. "Do not overextend yourself either, if you take too much damage you can't help me or the Arcadia Movement."

"Of course Lord Divine, we won't let you down!" There, that was taken care of; there would be a delay, there would be losses, but nothing that he couldn't recover from.

So Divine rode alone, looked down at the display on the monitor of his D-Wheel, the dot indicating his position getting closer and closer to the Momentum Generator, the heart of Neo-Domino City and thus of the world; true, there were villages here and there, dusty little places where people managed a semblance of life, but they could not grow, and they would not last. There was only Neo-Domino City, and once he gained control over the Momentum Generator it would be reborn as his Utopia, his world where only he and those with power enough to be of use to him would exist.

Divine turned around the corner, the building that housed the Momentum Generator was just up ahead, and…there was someone already there, someone standing there, facing out into the street. He rode in closer, saw who it was. He parked, got off his D-Wheel, faced her. "Hello Senator Ikeda, it's been quite some time since last we'd met." Aki's mother; she'd been there in the attack on the Arcadia Movement Headquarters, she'd played an instrumental role in Yusei's victory against Aki; now that had been a set-back, that had been something he'd never imagined possible and thus he'd been forced to risk his immortal soul in his last gambit for survival, for victory.

"My name is Setsuko Izayoi, and I deeply regret that I did not see through you in our first encounter."

Divine chuckled at the memory she'd summoned from his mind. "As it so happened, I really had gotten lost, trying to navigate the labyrinth your husband had constructed in the midst of the Satellite; no doubt he was concerned about intruders, criminals, satellite scum coming after the rumored witch girl."

"You know that's not what I'd meant." Her fist was shaking, her voice was not. "It doesn't matter though; there's nothing I can do about the past, I have to keep my focus on the present, on stopping you before you ruin the future that my daughter deserves." She reached into her bag, pulled out a gun.

"This would be the opportune moment for you; my forces are occupied elsewhere and Security is presently akin to a snake without a head, so you could do it and get away with it." Divine took a step forward. "Indeed, you most certainly have it in you; after all, where else would your daughter have gotten it from?"

"Shut up." She raised the gun, turned the safety off. "Aki is not the weapon you tried to turn her into, she is going to return to a city that can accept her for who she is, and I will not let you destroy that chance for her."

"But Setsuko," Divine said, standing still with his arms down at his side, "I want the exact same thing for Aki; my Utopia exists for her, for all those like her, a world without the weak to burden us with their fear and resentment. Stand aside, and I will overlook your betrayal." He took another step forward, she fired, aimed just a step ahead of where he was. The sound of the gunshot faded into the distance, the clatter of the lost shell hung in his ears.

"You've always loved the sound of your own voice above all else; I wonder, after all these years of deception and manipulation, of changing your story and editing the facts, I wonder if you were to remove all the masks you've worn, would there be anything left behind?"

Divine smiled, stepped forward, Setsuko did not fire this time. "The distinction between a mask and someone's true face is quite arbitrary; we all put on different masks at different times in different situations, the notion that one of those masks is somehow the real one while the rest are mere fakes…Senator Ikeda, Setsuko Ikeda, Setsuko Izayoi, your very existence undermines your argument." Divine was only two steps away now. "More importantly though, your continued existence almost undermined everything that I've worked towards." One last step to go, her finger as on the trigger, her grip on the gun was firm; when had she found time to prepare like this? "Farewell, I could never have gotten this far without you."

Divine heard the gunshot, recoiled away from Setsuko. "Tell me Divine, were you prepared for that?"

Divine gripped his chest. "For you, this was indeed the opportune time…unfortunately for you though, this was the opportune place for me." Divine raised his arm, brandished the Dragon Birthmark, the spectral form of Stardust Dragon appeared behind him, crimson energy shot out of the building before them and into his body. He pulled his other hand away from his chest, a bullet hole in his shirt, and unbroken flesh beneath it. "Have I made my point clear now?"

Setsuko smiled. "Yes you have." Divine frowned. "For all that you've employed delays and diversions in your strategies, you were unable to recognize one playing out before your eyes."

Divine heard the sound of a D-Wheel screeching to a stop. "I seem to keep falling into your debt, Setsuko." Divine turned around to face Jack Atlas. "I will pay this debt back immediately." Jack armed his duel disc.

"How fortuitous." Divine grinned. "The old gods must be using what little, feeble power they have left in a futile effort to stop my ascension." He armed his duel disc. "Foolish; my victory will only be more complete for it."

* * *

><p>"Yusei!" Ruka brought her hands to her mouth, yelled again. "Yusei!" She stumbled forward, caught herself on a nearby wall; the streets were cracked and full of potholes, worse than any she saw in her brief trips to the Satellite. The graffiti was also more pervasive and vicious, and personal. Ruka averted her eyes from it, only to see the grave markers on the side of the road, a line of them extending as far as she could see. "It's not your fault Yusei!" Ruka went down that road, the wind picked up, blowing the scent of ash in her face. "You can't listen to them!" There were televisions in the shop window up ahead, the screens were cracked but they still worked.<p>

"We are now live on the scene!" The reporter said, face covered in shadow, "where Yusei Fudou is set to betray his best friend, his leader, his comrade, the one who gave him his dreams for the future!"

"You're wrong!" Ruka's voice shook the screens, the shadowed faces were all looking at her. "Yusei kept true to what he knew was right, and though he regretted that he couldn't save him, that's not the same thing as betraying him!"

The air froze, became thick, became impossible to breathe. "We now bring you live," the reporter said, voice echoing as she ran, "to the scene of Yusei Fudou's greatest crime!" Something pressed her down into the ground, the ground wasn't concrete it wasn't a street, it was a small wooden boat! She tried to turn herself over, but her arms were bound, there was no room to turn over. "Like Sisyphus before him, he will swim forever, reach out to that boat only for it turn over and drown the child he is sworn to protect!"

"Rally!" She heard Yusei's voice, hoarse and shallow.

"No, Yusei, it's me, Ruka!" The wind was howling, blowing away from the docks, carrying her voice away. "You have to stop!" She screamed, her lungs were burning, the boat was rocking. "You have to let go Yusei!"

The tears she felt coursing down her cheeks, they were his tears. The boat turned over, she hit the water, felt his body clench. "Yes, just stop Yusei!" The reporter's voice passed through the water unaffected. "Give up now, and you won't have to keep failing everyone who's ever counted on you! You won't have to keep being a dismal failure and a disappointment in the eyes of your parents, who sacrificed everything for an ungrateful child like you!"

"That's enough!" Ruka yelled, swallowing that foul water; she felt it burning her on the inside, felt it festering in her stomach. "I'm going to save you, Yusei!" She focused her will, gave her mind and spirit over to the Ancient Fairy Dragon; her bindings broke, she rose above the water, saw Yusei, flew down to him. "Yusei!"

"R…Ruka?" He looked up at her, reached out. Darkness swept over him, swept over them. The darkness gripped at her, crept in the crevices between her hand and his.

"Don't let go Yusei, I'm right here." She whispered, her voice muted.

She couldn't see him, but she had the impression his mouth was moving, he was saying something, the words didn't reach her. She tightened her grip, pulled herself in as the darkness smothered them both.

* * *

><p>"You ready to give up?" Yua's vision blurred, a piece of the ceiling fell down; Hayate was unconscious, Tsubasa was bleeding badly, his arm hanging limp at his side. "We know you're confused, just stand aside and let us go to Lord Divine so we can help him!"<p>

"Sorry everyone," Yua equipped her cards to Vylon Alpha, sized up her myriad opponents, "but I'm not going to let any of us run away, I'm not going to let any of us think that we're above the people of this city."

Dozens of monsters charged Vylon Apha, and there were more on the way. Yua braced herself.

* * *

><p>"My turn!" Jack Atlas called out, his fingers on the top card of his deck. Setsuko Izayoi's eyes were not on him though, they were on the creature that he and Red Demon's Dragon were facing, Divine's Messiah Dragon; twice it had used its baleful power on Jack's monster, bringing him to his knees. Setsuko was leaning against the wall, unable to support herself, hardly able to breathe. "Draw!" Jack swept his arm out, for a moment Setsuko swore an arc of light followed the path of his card.<p>

"Sorry to disappoint you Jack, but that was not the card you needed." Divine said, that damned smile on his face as it had been throughout the entire duel. He raised his arm, showed the Dragon Birthmark that burned so bright. "The wings of the Crimson Dragon will carry me where I wish them to."

"Is that so?" Jack looked over the cards in his hand, stood back up. "I activate the spell card, Mind Trust, and sacrifice Red Demon's Dragon to return Dark Resonator to my hand, then summon it to the field in defense and end my turn."

"For the King of Riding Duels to be reduced to this…" Divine drew his card. "I return Psi-Beast, Esper Girl, Hushed Psychic Cleric, and Reinforced Human Psychic Borg to my grave to special summon Red Demon's Dragon from your grave to my side of the field." Divine chuckled as Jack's monster, his self-proclaimed soul, bowed down to him. "You and Yusei are more alike than you realize; you both made the exact same move at this juncture, and in both cases it was entirely futile."

"We'll see how futile it all was, once you've defeated me."

"Your stubbornness does not become you; Red Demon's Dragon, attack and destroy Dark Resonator with your effect." Dark Resonator struck its tuning fork, created a barrier to block the dragon's breath weapon, but when it swept its claws across Jack's side of the field, it was cut in half, destroyed without hesitation. "And while I could use Messiah Dragon's effect to preserve itself against Red Demon's effect, I think I'll just go ahead and attack anyway." A direct attack with a zero attack monster, Setsuko had never seen anything like it; despite the lack of real damage, Messiah Dragon's breath weapon, fanned as it was by its ten wings, consumed Jack's body. "Sorry Jack." When the attack finished, Divine was wearing Akira's face. "It looks like you couldn't really save me after all."

"You bastard!" Jack stood up, one leg gave out under him. "You get off on this, don't you?!"

"I am ascending to godhood Jack." Divine said with his own face once again. "Can I really be blamed for feeling satisfaction at this juncture?" Jack growled again. "But you're right, I shouldn't be toying around with you; I activate my trap card Soul Banisher Ray, and remove your Red Demon's Dragon from play to inflict damage equal to half its attack power." Red Demon's Dragon ripped into its chest with its own claws, bearing its soul. "Don't worry Jack; like Yusei, I won't be killing you; the Gods can't hope to match the torment I have in mind for you, after you saved Setsuko." Setsuko felt her breath catch in her throat, felt her heart stop in her chest, her eyes froze as the fury of Jack's monster was moments away from claiming victory.

A pillar of light slammed down in front of Jack, down upon the twisted thing that Jack's monster had been turned into. A crater was left behind, Jack's face was pulled into a satisfied grin. Divine turned to where he was looking, Setsuko followed their eyes, tears streaked her cheeks, smiling for the first time in a long time. "You're back."

Aki Izayoi stood there, locket around her neck, Black Rose Dragon in hand. "I will be soon, Mother."


	53. Chapter 53

**A Faint Hope, Can the Destroyer Become a Guardian?**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I suggest for the final turn of the duel that you go onto youtube and search for "Power to Tearer" and let that play while you read. Thank you, and on with the story.

* * *

><p>"Enough." Aki looked down at the ground, heard Divine stop. "You can't possibly imagine that I'm going to fall for that; I remember everything now, not just fairy-tale you created for me." She kept her breathing calm and steady as she heard the sound of a visor fall and hit a familiar floor. "You put that thought into my head, my heart, made me subconsciously hate and reject everyone in the city, everyone except you." Aki looked up, steeled her face. "I have no interest in whatever warped justifications you have for what you did to me, to all of us!"<p>

"You say that Aki…" Divine sighed, closed his eyes. He opened them, his gaze forceful and powerful. "You have indeed been apart from me too long, Aki Izayoi, the Black Rose Witch." Aki looked past him, looked at her mother.

"Get Jack away from here." Jack was straining to keep himself up; she'd saved him from Divine's final assault, but he was still badly hurt, bleeding all over, barely managing to keep on one leg. "There's no telling what he might pull."

"You wound me, Aki." Her mother was about to help Jack up, give him a shoulder to lean on, when she froze, they froze. "You are confused, Aki; the lies of this world have crept into your soul, and they are fighting fiercely against the truth that I've shown you." He laughed. "Don't worry, I will cleanse all doubt from your mind Aki, and once again you will be my Joan of Arc, heralding the rise of our Utopia."

"Never again." Bodies at her feet, so many bodies, people chosen by Divine, people she'd executed, assassinated, murdered. "I have grown beyond you Divine." She felt her Dragon Birthmark glow, saw Divine's do the same in turn. Akira appeared next to Divine, unconscious, curled up in the fetal position. Aki closed her eyes. "I will rid this world of you, using the power you tried to exploit." Aki armed her duel disc, drew her cards, opened her eyes. "I summon Beech Guardian in defense, and set two cards to end my turn." A small beech tree grew in front of Aki, the roots spreading out into the concrete, digging in, cracking it. As the flowers bloomed, a young woman took form in the bough of the tree, looking down at Divine with 1800 defense points.

"Turn 2, Aki Izayoi: 4000 life points, Divine: 4000 life points."

Divine furrowed his brows, frowned. "Where did you get that card Aki?" She stood silent. "That is not a card I provided you with." Aki shifted in her feet, felt the shuffling of sand; the landscape had changed, become one that Aki had become deeply familiar with. "Something you'd found in the wasteland?" The wind howled around them, Aki covered her face to keep out the sand. "Something given to you, a wanderer…" Vertigo, Aki almost lost her balance as the ground beneath her dipped. "I see!" The town, Rashoman Village, took form around them. "To think, someone had created a Momentum Generator on their own." The Momentum Generator loomed over them, and there she was. "And that woman…she must have been a member of the original M.I.D.S team…in fact, I would say that that woman is none other than Yusei's mother, isn't she?"

"Her name is Miyuki Fudou." Everything blew away as dust. "She went out into a world that she'd helped destroy, a hellscape that dwarfs the injustices of Neo-Domino City." Aki looked up at the monster she'd summoned. "And she did not create anything on her own; she found people out there, their spirits still holding onto hope despite the devastation that surrounded them every day, and it was with their help that she was able to create an oasis for them."

"But only as an aggregate were they indispensable; exchange any one member of that derelict village with anyone else, and the Momentum Generator's form would be unaffected. Only she could not be exchanged, only she had the unique skill and power necessary to affect change, just like you Aki." Divine drew his card. "Your power is the cornerstone of the Arcadia Movement, Aki, without you there is no Arcadia Movement, and I will do whatever I can to have you understand that the way you used to." Divine took a card from his hand. "I activate the spell card Foolish Burial and send Esper Girl from my deck to my grave; thus, when I summon Silent Psychic Wizard, its effect activates to remove Esper Girl from play." With a steely gaze Divine's monster raised the young woman from the grave, only to make her vanish beyond all sight. "Now, Silent Psychic Wizard, attack and destroy Beech Guardian, and tear away my first and most faithful disciple's doubt!"

"Trap card activate, Wall of Destruction!" Silent Psychic Wizard swept its staff out, and the Beech Guardian burst into flame, spread its fire onto Silent Psychic Wizard's body. "Furthermore, when destroyed by a card effect, Beech Guardian's effect activates to special summon a Beech Token to my side of the field in defense position." The fire died down, revealing a small sapling where Beech Guardian once stood, its roots as strong as its forbearer, the same defense power protecting it.

"And when Silent Psychic Wizard is sent from the field to the grave, the monster it removed from play is special summoned to my side of the field." Esper Girl appeared from out of nowhere, bowing down to Divine, one hand extended in supplication. "When so summoned, Esper Girl's effect activates, removing from play the top card of my deck." Aki watched as Divine took the card from his deck and handed it to Esper Girl, her stomach lurching at the audible elation emanating from the monster; her memories were replete with that scene being played over and over and over and over again, Divine procuring just the right card for her deck, going out into a world that eyed him with suspicion and scorn, that was what he'd always told her. "You see Aki? How can the false doubt that's been seeded into your heart possibly take root where my truth has long since bloomed?"

"Your truth…" The card in Esper Girl's hands vanished, she turned and assumed a defensive posture. "…your truth is not mine; my world is not limited by your vision." Assurances echoed in her ears, her power would clear the way for a new world that she could live in, free and without fear. "Your siren song will hold no power over me, Divine."

"When you have crashed upon the rocks of this world, my lighthouse shall be your beacon of safety." Divine chuckled. "But for now, I will set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 3, Aki Izayoi: 4000 life points, Divine: 4000 life points."

"My turn." As Aki reached for her next card, she focused; Ruka, the girl who tried to reach out to her, Rua, the boy that she'd stumbled upon and believed in his heart that she was a good person, Jack, the man who bore the same burden as her, Yusei, who tried to bear her pain, her mother who'd risked everything for her, Miyuki and everything she'd taught her. "Draw." Yes, she could keep her mind on all of that, make it a fortress that all of Divine's lies, all his sweet words and tender touches could do nothing against. "I activate my trap card, Ivy Gift; when I control a Plant-type monster, I can discard two plant monsters from my hand to special summon four Ivy Tokens to your side of the field in defense." She gave up her cards, the ivy spread out across Divine's side of the field, threatening to choke the life out of Esper Girl. "And now I activate my spell card, Harvest Bloom." The Ivy Tokens grew taller, thicker. "When my opponent controls at least three plant-type monsters, I can draw two cards." She added her next cards to her hand. "And now, I sacrifice my Beech Token to summon Rose Tentacles in attack position." Aki's monster appeared, the concrete cracking as it took root. "Battle."

With its effect, with four Ivy Tokens on Divine's side of the field, Rose Tentacle's effect allowed it to attack five times; with each Ivy Token destroyed, with their effects combined with Rose Tentacles, she dealt 600 points of damage to him, for a grand total 2400 points of damage, damage that was visited on Divine's body. The final thorn whip swept out, smashed Esper Girl into the ground. "When sent to the grave, Esper Girl's effect activates, adding the card she removed from play to my hand." He got down onto one knee, smiled down at Esper Girl. With a weak, pain-filled smile on her face, Esper Girl gave her card to Divine before expiring, before vanishing into dust. "You did well Aki; even though this is Akira's body, you didn't hold back at all." He wiped away the blood that was dripping down his face.

"You won't let go until that body is destroyed utterly, until it can no longer keep you attached to this world." Aki took a deep breath. "You've already killed him, there is nothing more I can do for him." Aki checked her hand. "I set one card and end my turn."

"Turn 4, Aki Izayoi: 4000 life points, Divine: 1600 life points."

"I suppose you could see it that way," Divine drew his card, "but like I've been saying, you are confused Aki; Akira's soul is within this vessel as well, and I assure you he is being quite well rewarded for the sacrifices he's made on my behalf." Aki covered her face with her arms as the wind whipped out at her. It died down, Aki lowered her arms and saw a boy in a field, running, laughing, and with him a young woman beatifically from the middle of a flower field. "The gods would see him suffer for what they would call his crimes, but he did them for my sake, for you, and so I have rewarded him, just as I will reward you when we usher in the new world." Divine took the card from his hand, the vision vanished, overwritten by darkness. "I now summon Reinforced Human Psychic Borg to the field in attack position." A metallic, blue-gray figure stood before her, holding in hand a strange, sword-like weapon. "Twice per turn, I can remove from play a Psychic type monster in my grave to increase my monster's attack power by 500, permanently." Divine's monster jammed its weapon into the ground; Silent Psychic Wizard and Esper Girl flowed into it, dissolved, the weapon glowed bright blue as its attack power increased to 2500. "Then I pay 800 life points to activate Psychic Path and return Silent Psychic Wizard and Esper Girl to my hand." Energy streamed out through Divine's wounds like rivulets, the two cards reappeared in his hand. "With that, I can now activate my spell card, Secluded Grave; when I control a Psychic type monster and have no monsters in my grave, I can send a Psychic-Type monster to the grave that I can't special summon, and that monster will be Master Gig." A great thrum of power vibrated through Aki's body. "Now, I activate the Permanent Spell card Future Glow, removing the level 8 Master Gig in my grave from play to increase the attack power of all Psychic-type monsters I control by 1600." Master Gig's specter appeared as an aura around Divine's monster, raising its attack power to 4100. "Attack."

Aki reeled, the heat of Reinforced Human Psychic Borg's weapon cut through Rose Tentacles well before it made contact, she hit the ground for 1900 points of damage. "Trap card activate," she lifted herself back up, winced and gripped her side, "Reprisal of Thorns!" Massive blackberry vines grew up around Divine. "When a Plant-type monster I control is destroyed in battle, I send from your deck to the grave one card for every 200 points of damage I took." The vines pierced through the top 9 cards of Divine's deck, deposited them in Divine's grave. "Furthermore, when a level 5 or higher Plant monster is destroyed and sent to the grave, I special summon Revival Rose from my grave in defense position." Aki's rose arose.

"Interesting, one of the cards you'd sent to the grave with Ivy Gift, and the other no doubt will special summon itself from the grave on your next turn, to facilitate a Synchro Summon…and a trap to deplete my deck, just like I'd given for you to use against Yusei." Divine crooked one arm, rested the other on it and rubbed his chin. "Unfortunately for you, a Deck-Out strategy is useless against me; I have a card that I can add to my hand from the grave in place of drawing a card from my deck, so once that card enters my grave, I'm set."

"How convenient for you." For Aki, that, more than anything else, was proof that she was dealing with Divine, the man who'd planned everything out so intricately, who adapted so quickly to changing circumstances.

"Indeed it is; I'd say that one of the Gods was smiling down on me, but I know for a fact that none of them are." He inhaled sharply through his nostrils. "In any event, my battle phase is not yet over, so I will activate my face-down card, Emergency Teleport, and special summon D.D. Telepon from my deck, and with Future Glow's effect its attack power will increase to 2100, more than enough to destroy your Revival Rose." A portal opened up over Revival Rose, black energy rained down until nothing but a few petals remained. "And during the end phase, the monster summoned by Emergency Teleport is removed from play, activating D.D. Telepon's effect allowing me to remove Mental Seeker in my deck from play." Divine smiled. "As you can see, running out of cards does not concern me at all. Now, I end my turn, Aki Izayoi."

"Turn 5, Aki Izayoi: 2100 life points, Divine: 800 life points."

"My turn." Aki steadied her hand over her card, cleared her head. "I draw." She released her breath with the motion of her hand, saw the path given to her. "I set one card, summon Spore, and activate the effect of Dark Verger in my grave to special summon itself from the grave, and then I tune it to my Spore." One ring, two stars. "A subtle power that sees into the future, a silent hand that will crush my enemy's future! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Blossom Sorceress!" A field of flowers took shape before Aki, and from that field a towering sunflower formed, and as it bloomed a young woman appeared, red and yellow robes covering her form. "I activate Bloom's effect from the grave, removing Beech Guardian in my grave from play to special summon it at level two, and since I control a Plant-type tuner I special summon Dark Verger from the grave once again." She had gathered three monsters on her field, all of them peering intently at Divine. "Now, I activate Blossom Sorceress's effect; once per turn, for every Plant-monster I control, I can send one card from your deck to the grave."

"Let's see now…" Divine picked up the top three cards of his deck. "Fortune yet favors you Aki; Psychic Annihilation still isn't in the grave." He sent his cards to the grave.

"And now, I tune the level 2 Dark Verger and level 3 Blossom Sorceress to my level 2 Spore." Two rings, Five stars. "Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!" Her Dragon Birthmark resonated with the appearance of her dragon, as did Divine's. "And upon summoning it, I activate its effect to destroy every card on the field!" Hurricane force winds swept razor sharp rose petals everywhere, clearing the field of everything, including Aki's face-down card. "And now that it has been destroyed, Destruction's Rebirth will activate its effect, skipping my battle phase to special summon Black Rose Dragon with 200 extra attack points for every card that was destroyed other than itself, or 3000 attack points total." Black Rose Dragon was reborn, ready to stare down Divine.

"Turn 6, Aki Izayoi: 2100 life points, Divine: 800 life points."

"I applaud you Aki." He did so, slowly. "Using both the cards I gave you and the cards provided by Miyuki together to such skillful effect, it is no wonder that you were able to win at the Fortune Cup." He stopped. "Therefore, in order to bring about a proper conclusion, to have you return to me, to have my vision realized, I must use my utmost power against you." Divine drew his card. "In my standby phase, the monster that D.D. Telepon removed from play is now special summoned to my side of the field, activating Mental Seeker's effect to remove from play one of the top three cards of your deck." They floated over to Divine; he picked one out, had it vanish, and the rest were shuffled back into Aki's deck. "Then, I summon Psi-Beast." The feral, wolf-like monster roared. "When normal summoned, I activate its effect to remove a Psychic Monster in my deck from play, and change Psi-Beast's level to that monster's level; thus, I remove the level 6 Armored Axon Kicker in my deck from play to set Psi-Beast at level 6." Psi-Beast's body swelled and contorted as power entered it. "I now tune that level 6 monster to my level 3 Mental Seeker." Three rings, six stars, the air itself reverberated with power. "The very embodiment of God descends upon the Earth. All will submit to our power and rejoice. Synchro Summon! The advent of the Highest Glory, Messiah Dragon!"

The light split on the prismatic scales of Divine's monster, it flapped its wings together, its wingspan dwarfing Black Rose Dragon's by a wide margin. "So that's it, the one Godwin had been seeking all this time."

"And a magnificent card it is, truly worthy of the leader of the Signers, the Head of the Crimson Dragon, the herald of my Godhood!" Divine cleared his throat. "Excuse me a moment, but I've found that when I summon this monster, I get a little carried away; you understand, don't you?"

"What I understand is that your monster will never be able to destroy my Black Rose Dragon." Zero attack points, what was this creature's secret?

"But I don't have to, nor do I want to, for the Messiah's true power can't be achieved alone." He grinned. "Once per turn, by discarding a Psychic Monster in my hand to the grave, I activate Messiah Dragon's effect and inflict damage to you equal to one-half that of one monster you control." Messiah Dragon opened the golden eye on its forehead, stared into Black Rose Dragon's eyes; Aki writhed with her monster, felt that power drive her to stand still before her own monster as it turned on her, unleashed the black fire of its breath on her body, burned her inside and out, leaving her with only 600 life points. "In addition, Messiah Dragon suffers no damage in battle, and if it would be destroyed I simply remove from play a Psychic Monster in my grave, something you've ensured I would have a most adequate supply of. Therefore, on my next turn, I will simply discard another monster and defeat you, and then this ugly moment between us will be left behind, forgotten forever, unwanted and unneeded in our Utopia to come."

"Turn 7, Aki Izayoi."

Aki was shaking, her whole body trembled; she had nothing, nothing that could destroy that monster, nothing that could wipe out the rest of Divine's deck in time; as it stood, he still had fifteen cards in his deck, and she had nothing in her hand before this draw. "Aki." What was she going to do? "Aki." Wait, whose voice was that? "Aki!" Her eyes widened, as did Divine's; Akira had awoken, he ran up to Aki, his form pitted and weak. "I'm sorry Aki, I'm so…" He groaned. "I won't waste time with apologies, that won't do you any good, that won't do all the people I've wronged any good."

"What are you talking about Akira?"

"Listen Aki, you can defeat Divine, you have that power in you, the power of a Signer!"

"Akira, why are you not asleep?" Divine had a stern expression on his face. "I'd given you everything you'd ever wanted, a charmed paradise that only I, the leader of the Arcadia Movement, could create."

"What you'd created was nothing but a false idol, and that it took me this long to remember what Jack had told me sickens me to my stomach." He did not turn to face Divine as he spoke, he still looked into Aki's eyes. "Remember Aki, you saw that power, you saw the power that can surpass any other, you saw that power that save all of us!" A flash of silver light, the echo of that moment when all her memories had returned to her.

"Against anyone else, perhaps." A black mist coiled around Akira's neck, extending from Divine's hand. "Against me, the Head of the Dragon, the Signer's power can't be made to betray me." He pulled at Akira, pulled him back to him. "Don't worry though, since you won't have any effect, I will simply return you to the paradise that your deepest heart desires."

"Divine!" Aki snarled.

"Aki, please, forget about me! Don't hold back at all, use every ounce of strength you have and destroy us together, it's the only…!" He curled back up into the fetal position, slept once more.

"Divine…" Aki swore that she would win, that this would end now! "I draw!" She pulled the card from her deck. "I activate the spell card, Buried Seeds; since I have at least five plant monsters in my grave," Spore, Dark Verger, Rose Tentacles, Blossom Sorceress, and Revival Rose, "I can skip my battle phase to draw two cards!" She saw Divine brandish his arm, the glow of his Dragon Birthmark so intense it blotted out all else from her sight. She raised her arm, focused every last bit of power, all the hate and resentment that had ever welled up in her being, and unleashed it in her draw. Energy cracked in the air, slammed into Divine's arm, the glow of his Dragon Birthmark dull and weak. She looked down at the cards in her hand, the cards with which she could win, one of which a card that did not exist in her deck before her intense desire to save everyone she could.

"Impressive, Aki." Divine gripped his arm, rubbed at his Dragon Birthmark. "To claw out your own throat to defy the head…you are indeed the most powerful Psychic Duelist in the world." He grinned, looked up at Black Rose Dragon. "But there is more to this world than just raw power; Godwin had all the power of the city at his beck and call, and he is dust while I yet live."

"Only because you've stolen Akira's body, only because you are a parasite that refuses to admit defeat."

Divine chuckled. "Indeed, as it stands you will in all likelihood win this battle, Aki." She frowned, she saw it in his eyes. "Yes, you defeat me, destroy this poor boy's body, and my soul will lose its anchor to this world…but then I will simply enter the other body I've prepared for myself."

"Other body?" He couldn't have…not even he could have…

"Yes Aki, just one more body, just one more for you to kill and I will be gone forever."

"You bastard…it wasn't enough for you to defeat Yusei…"

Divine shook his head. "No Aki, not him; as a fully awakened Signer, his body will reject my soul, while a normal person's body would be destroyed almost immediately from the strain of my power; it is a narrow margin I must have for my soul, a body that can endure but does not have the power to reject." Aki narrowed her eyes. "Furthermore, it takes time to prepare that person, to make sure that their psyche will align with mine."

"No…" Aki averted her eyes.

"You keep telling me that your truth is your own, that your truth is not for me to decide." She could feel it, the bile welling up in her. "Akira had told you not to hold back against me, that he was willing to give up his life in atonement for his sins, but what about him?" Aki dropped to her knees, hand over her mouth. "Will you kill him as well, just to spite me?"

Aki retched, smelled the acidic stench on her hand. "This can't be…" Aki heard footsteps, small and fast. "You can't be…" She saw a pair of feet in blue shoes. Aki looked up. "Rua!"

"Exactly, Aki." He motioned the boy over to the Messiah Dragon, and he flew up into the dragon's golden eye, looking down at Aki. "This of course is only an image, a thought that we are sharing, but it is connected to the real Rua, the one who despite not being a Signer himself is twin to another. When Yua and Tsubasa first brought him to us under the mistaken impression that he was his twin sister, I'd thought to simply use him to bring Ruka under my control, but during my duel with him, I'd discovered that some of her power had rubbed off on him; thus, I began my final back-up, my ultimate fallback for when all else failed." Divine grinned. "His focus is entirely on Ruka and Yusei, he had no awareness or wherewithal to protect himself; defeat me here and I will possess his body, and only death will separate me from it."

Everything was spinning around Aki, her breathing was rapid and shallow as her vision turned red; she heard the rev of Jack's engine, his D-Wheel was coming down the street for her. She saw Ruka, standing before her, tears coming down in big ugly globs, she felt her fists hammering away at her sides as she demanded to know why, why she'd done that, why she'd allowed Divine to get away with it, how could she do that to Rua!? She saw her mother…her mother, the woman who'd been betrayed and manipulated, who'd risked her life to free her from her cursed fate, would now stand betrayed once again.

"There is only one path before you Aki." Divine's voice made it all go away, the only thing to hear was his voice. "Join me Aki, and I will make it all go away, forever; all your pain, your sorrow, your anguish, all your struggling to try and fit in with a world that has rejected you from the very beginning, I will erase it all, only the memories of your happiness, your joy, your euphoria, only they will survive." Her power was destruction, and if she tried to use it on her own, it would only bring her suffering; that was the truth that Divine had imparted on her. "There is no hurry Aki; in this place, in our minds, we have all the time in the world. When you are ready, you may walk with me once again."

He had proven it; destruction, her power could only destroy, she could only destroy the world around herself, destroy herself, so how could she have ever believed that she could ever belong in that world, that there could ever be a place for a monster, for a witch? What hope could she have, except to destroy the world that created her, only to deny her the right to exist? What was there to do, but to submit?

So why didn't she? Her hand refused to move to her deck, her arm refused the signal to surrender, her whole body defied the understanding that Divine had given her. She tried to think it, tried to tell her body what it had to do, the only thing it could do, the only way her monstrous power could possibly be stopped, but the thoughts would not cohere, would not come together, her hands could not close upon them, the picture that her mind's eye knew had to be would simply not be. Monstrous…her power, herself, when was it, when was the first time she'd heard that? That's right, it was her father, he'd tried to use her, make her into his weapon, and her power lashed out and killed him. Yes, he saw her power, saw the way it could be used, and called her a monster for it, and thanks to Divine, she believed it with all her heart and soul without ever being able to confront the ugly truth behind it.

"I will not walk with you, Divine." Aki drew herself back up. "I will not submit; for over half my life that is what I did, I submitted to the lies that you've told me, the lie that my father told me, the lies that all those who feared my power told me." The glow of her Dragon Birthmark grew. "My power can make me a monster, but only so long as I believe I am a monster."

"Aki, you're not making any sense." Divine's narrowed his eyes. "The only thing your power can do is destroy; in this world of cowards and weaklings, a monster is all you can ever be."

"No." Aki raised her arm. "Destruction has swept throughout this entire world, and with that destruction came a second chance for those who survived, for those who held on to hope. That destruction is simply a part of this world, the natural cycle that exists and has always existed, and always will exist. Why?" A forest appeared all around them, trees tall enough to touch the sky. "The brush must be cleared away, lest life be choked out and lost." The forest vanished, replaced by a field filled with rabbits beyond counting. "The herds must be culled before everything is consumed." Everything vanished, except for them. "The wicked, those who see only themselves and refuse to repent, they must be destroyed to protect those who can't protect themselves." Aki was shrouded in a burning crimson aura. "Do you understand Divine? My power has been trying to destroy me, because I believed I deserved to be destroyed! Confused and locked away, I couldn't love myself, and so I couldn't stop hurting every day of my life! It ends now Divine! The only monster here is you, and you are the only one who will die this day!"

"Aki, stop!"

"I summon Salvation Dragon – Savior Dragon, and then I activate the effect of Remembrance Rosemary, special summoning it when I've summoned a tuner monster to the field!" The pink dragon was joined by a woman with wooden skin and rosemary growing from her branches, hands clasped in prayer. "I now tune my level 2 Remembrance Rosemary and my level 7 Black Rose Dragon to my level 1 Savior Dragon!" One ring, nine stars. "The cold flame will engulf all lies! The black rose will sap evil's future! Synchro Summon! Banish the wicked, Savior Rose Dragon!" Serene and fearsome in equal measure, slender claws reached out from beneath four rose petal wings. The body was covered in thorns, save the face; there, the dragon bore a distinctly human face that shined with its own inner light.

"You can't attack Aki, this is all futile!"

"When summoned, Savior Rose Dragon's first effect activates; for every Plant monster in my grave, I remove from play one card in your deck!" Rose Tentacles, Dark Verger, Revival Rose, Spore, Blossom Sorceress, and Remembrance Rosemary; Savior Rose Dragon gazed at Divine's deck, six cards vanished, never to be seen again. "Then, I activate Savior Rose Dragon's second effect; I target one monster you control and negate that monster's effect until the end phase, and when I do, I remove from play a number of cards from your deck equal to that monster's level!" Nine thorn encrusted vines spread out, pierced each remaining card in Divine's deck; one by one they disintegrated, until Divine's deck was empty. Then the vines wrapped around Divine, dug into his skin.

"Aki, what have you done?!" His eyes were pulled tight by his grimace, his body was shaking all over. "If you keep this up, Akira will die and so will Rua! Listen, it's not too late, you can still surrender, you can put an end to this before it's all too late!"

Aki stared at Divine, what was he doing? What was this? Her eyes widened. "You're scared." She spoke with a hushed voice. "You're frightened, for the first time in your life you're afraid." The realization took hold of her. "All your life, you've always been in control, haven't you? You've never suffered, never been at someone's mercy before, and now all you can do is beg."

"Afraid?" Divine shook his head. "No, not for me, for you!"

"I've heard enough." Aki reached out, Savior Rose Dragon did the same. "As I said before, only you will die, and now I will make that happen." Savior Rose Dragon thrust its claw into Divine's body, and pulled; he began to split from himself, and as he did, silver threads appeared connecting him to Akira. The dragon pulled, and pulled, until Divine was completely out, and Akira was back in his own body. In that moment, the Savior Rose Dragon extended its wings and sliced the silver threads, separating him from Akira. Aki looked in the direction of the dueling arena, the dragon pulled Divine away from there, revealing the threads stretching all the way to Rua. Savior Rose Dragon sliced through them just as easily. "There, now you will have no anchor in this world, you will drag no one else down into the abyss with you."

"No, Aki, have mercy, the Gods, you have no idea what they have planned for me, spare me, I'll do whatever you want of me, just please, don't send me to them!"

"And now, in the end phase, Savior Rose Dragon returns to the Extra Deck, and Black Rose Dragon is special summoned from the grave." Savior Rose Dragon looked to the distance, where Yusei and Ruka were. A massive heartbeat echoed all around them, and the Messiah Dragon looked where Savior Rose Dragon looked. Otherworldly cries gathered in their ears, from the horizon they grew, Savior Star Dragon and Savior Fairy Dragon flying towards them. Aki turned around, saw Savior Demon Dragon arising from where Jack stood; the four dragons hovered together, looked to one another, and flew into Messiah Dragon's body!

"Wha…no, it can't be happening now, not now, not now!" Divine tried to free himself from Savior Rose Dragon's bindings, but they held strong even in their creator's absence. Messiah Dragon reared up on its hind legs, spread its wings out as wide as it could, and from within its body a crimson light grew, brighter, and brighter, and brighter still. The scales cracked, the crimson light poured out of those gaps, and then that great golden eye split open. At first it looked like it was just a crimson band of energy rushing out of the Messiah Dragon, but then it circled around them in the air, and Aki recognized one of its claws as the one on her arm. She recognized the other as Ruka's, the wings were Jack's, the tail Yusei's, and the head of that dragon, the Crimson Dragon, was Divine's, but there was no sense of his hatred in that strange entity's eyes. The sound it created defied comprehension, and from its mouth the Black Rose Dragon appeared.

"Turn 8, Aki Izayoi: 600 life points, Divine: 800 life points."

"You have no future in this world Divine." He was cringing, using all his power to try to get away to no avail. "And it is not the wrath of the old gods that you must fear."

"This can't be…I'm still alive, I have to be able to do something, I was so close, I am so close, the Crimson Dragon is right before me!" He spoke as he sobbed, a manic grin on his face. "Yes, that's right, I am Divine, I am the one who will be the new God, I am the one who always comes out on top! I have the Fifth Dragon, the Messiah Dragon!" The monster in question was slumped on the ground, a hollowed out wreck. "I already have what I need, it doesn't matter what I draw!" He reached for his empty deck, and though there was nothing there, he brought his hand back as though there was a card there. "Messiah Dragon…Messiah Dragon…Messiah Dragon!" He called out again and again as his monster withered away, as the Crimson Dragon reached down, took him up in its massive claw, and consumed him.

Reality snapped back, Aki saw Akira slumped on the ground. He stirred, looked up at her. "Aki, I'm…am I…?"

She extended her hand to the boy. "You are." He reached out, she lifted him up. "But we're not finished yet." She saw the Fifth Dragon on his Duel Disc; the image was blank, cracked and broken. She looked up, and though the Crimson Dragon was gone, there was a new star in the sky, crimson and incredibly bright, able to be seen even with all the lights of the city shining up into the sky. Then she turned to Jack and her mother. "For now, let's meet up with the others."

* * *

><p>Yua felt the snap in her head, saw that all her remaining opponents had felt it too. "Aki defeated Divine." She knew this to be true, they all knew, they all stood together, looking to one another. "Everyone, we will wait here for Aki to return, and then we will decide what we're going to do." Everyone did as she said, and so at last she was able to let go, let herself slide into unconsciousness as she slumped against her brother's body.<p>

* * *

><p>Yusei Fudo was enveloped in soft, all-encompassing warmth from the tips of his spiky hair, the profile like a crab, to the ends of his feet clad in steel-tipped boots. It was nothing like the stifling heat of the summers in Satellite, nor the pounding rains that hammered down in the spring. The heaters used in the autumn, the blankets and comforters bundled up in winter could not compare to this sensation; it was utterly unlike anything he had ever known in his waking life in the slums of Satellite, and he was not alone. Ruka was with him, her arms wrapped around him as tight as she could manage. Those arms had saved him, had grounded him in the reality that was beyond his fears and anxieties. Now there was a crimson light, Yusei felt his eyes flutter open; he saw Ruka's head on his lap, Rua and Sly looking down at them, and felt his head on someone else's lap. "Rise and shine, Yusei." He felt the warm tear land on his forehead, looked up and saw her.<p>

"Mom?" Ruka awoke, looked up at her with the same awed look on her face as his. "How…?"

"Your friend, Aki…" She paused to wipe the tears from her eyes. "And you…" She looked down at Ruka. "Thank you too, for helping my son when he needed it."

"You're…you're welcome." Ruka blushed.

"We helped out too." Rua said, elbowing Sly in the arm. "Right?"

"Yes." That was all Sly said before he looked away from them.

"Ruka." Yusei looked the young girl in the eye, she nodded, got up and walked to her brother and Sly, walked away with them. He got up, sat up to face his mother.

"I can't imagine how many questions you must have for me Yusei." Her smile, it was just like Martha's. "I had so many, but then you woke up, and now I can't remember for the life of me."

"You will; Dad said you were the smartest person he'd ever known in his whole life." She mouthed the word, how. "His spirit, his memories…something was left behind in the Old Momentum Generator, while my friend Jack was dueling Godwin."

His mother chuckled. "Your father always was a flatterer." She cleared her throat, her smile grew. "All right then, tell me this; how much grief did you give Martha growing up?"

"More than I should have, but less than I could have, all things considered." And so they talked. Yusei told his mother, told Miyuki everything he could think to tell her, his time growing up with Martha, meeting Jack, meeting Kiryu, losing Kiryu, meeting Rally, losing Rally, losing against Jack, meeting the twins, staying with the twins, protecting the twins, facing Aki, meeting Divine, returning home, talking to Martha, meeting Setsuko, losing Rua, helping Ruka, Jack's friend Mikage taking a fatal blow for him, their attack on the Arcadia Movement HQ, Ruka rescuing her brother, his second confrontation with Aki, his first battle with Divine, the party afterwards, and Aki's departure.

"Aki told me a very similar story." Miyuki spoke of everything that she had done after leaving him in Martha's care, of the villages she'd found, the people's she'd met, and how one day a mysterious young woman was brought to them by a Security Officer, burn marks covering his body as sparks rained out from the young woman's body. Remembering what she could of the original Signer for the Black Rose Dragon she'd designed an inhibitor while Akir rested, and afterwards they spent their days practicing, training, discussing, doing everything they could to help one another. "I hope you don't mind Yusei, but I've come to think of her like the daughter I never had."

"I don't mind, but I'm not really the one you should talk to about that." He heard their footsteps, recognized them. He stood up to face them, as did his mother. Aki was in front, her mother behind her, Jack and Akira walking together, Akira lending Jack his shoulder to lean on. Ruka, Rua, and Sly came back into view. "Thank you, everyone."

"You're welcome, Yusei." Aki said with a smile.


	54. Chapter 54

**After the End of Utopia**

* * *

><p>"All right, what the hell's going on over here?" Jack Atlas said as he dismounted from his D-Wheel, the Temperance; the Wheel of Fortune had served him well for years, but even it could not have been upgraded and repaired endlessly. "Well?" The two groups he addressed simply stared back at him in shock, silent; one group wore the garb of the Satellite, the other of the City. Moments ago they were only moments away from tearing into one another, each side had members whose fists were still clenched. "Am I going to have to call my superior down here before you'll talk?"<p>

"No!" They all shouted at once. They spoke among themselves, sent out representatives; the Satellite's was a dark brown-skinned woman with black hair done up in dreads, while the City's was pale-skinned with slicked back brown hair; both were roughly of the same height and build, both presented Jack with a strong profile and a righteous expression.

"Look." The Satellite woman spoke first. "You see this apartment building here?" She pointed to the building that they were all standing next to, a rather nice looking one, clean and efficient. "We have been trying to get apartments here for the past two months, and this jackass over here keeps giving us these bullshit hoops that we have to jump through before we can step through the front door, and then he gives this bunch the OK with no questions asked! Now you tell me, how are we supposed to make it out of the Satellite with gatekeepers like him dangling the keys right out of our reach?"

Jack nodded, turned his head to face the City man. "Mr. Atlas, I can assure you that our bylaws in this building were all legitimately voted upon by the tenants of this building; I myself have nothing against people from the Satellite, but it's been four years since Godwin's death and Ms. Mikage's election, surely by now these people have to stop making excuses and take some personal responsibility for a change? I mean, they want to be treated as equals, then they need to stop expecting the rest of us to bend over backwards and give them handouts as though we personally were responsible for what happened to them!"

Jack sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose; the same old song and dance, the same damn story again and again and again, just with the names and dates and addresses changed around. "And tell me, are you friends with the local employers in this area?"

"Of course, we're all part of this community, a community that we've worked hard to build up and have every right to maintain the high standards that we've become accustomed to."

"I see, you're entitled to the fruits of your labor, is that it?" The City man nodded. "Then so are they!" Jack turned back to the Satellite woman. "Tell me, what were you doing four years ago?"

She crossed her arms. "I was a factory worker, had to keep on my feet 14, 16, 18 hours a day after my father got his arm caught in the machine; he kept the arm for all the good it did him."

Jack pulled out a business card from his pocket. "Take this with you and your father to the hospital, and tell them Jack sent you; this doctor does good work." He returned to the City man. "Without people like her, and her father, and everyone else in the Satellite doing the dirty work for next to nothing, you would not have been able to afford even half of what you have, so the next time you're about to say something about how you didn't personally keep anyone down, you better make sure you've gotten rid of everything you got through that rigged system, you got that?" The man nodded in silence, mouth clamped shut and sweat streaking his brow. "Now then, we're all going inside, and we're going to review the bylaws you've put together, and we'll see how fair they are." The law in its majestic equality forbade rich and poor alike from sleeping under bridges and stealing loaves of bread, or so some French writer had put it over a hundred years ago; Yusei had gotten him to read a little, and that was a line that stuck with him.

Hour after hour after tedious hour passed as each and every clause of the bylaws of the building were gone over in exacting detail, both sides fighting tooth and claw over every last concession. He just stood by, made sure that everyone played fair; that was all he could do, give the Satellite its fair chance against the City so that they could make them understand that things were not ever going back to the way they were, there would be no sweeping the city's sins back under the rug. Half the day was gone when Jack stepped out the door to the lobby, and he smiled. "I see you managed to get some time off after all."

"Staying behind a desk is a burden I would gladly do without if I could." Mikage was leaning against her car, her prosthetic legs almost indistinguishable from the genuine article. She walked up to him, the sounds of the footsteps perfectly natural; like he'd told the Satellite woman, the doctor did good work. "Everything go all right in there?"

"You'd think we might have made some progress by now." Jack rubbed the back of his head. "Shouldn't be saying that of course, another piece of work using time as an excuse to cover for his actions, but still…"

"We'll manage somehow Jack." She jabbed him in the arm. "Now come on, the Aiolos bridge is opening in three days, so I've arranged some charity duels for you to participate in before then."

"The more things change…" Jack chuckled; the previous Director of Security had arranged his duels for him for the good of the city, and now the new one was doing much the same. Somehow though, he found much more agreeable than before.

* * *

><p>"Okay everyone, let's start by discussing old business." Ruka said in her capacity as the President of the Neo-Domino High Dueling Club; she'd campaigned hard for the position and had won in a landslide. "Bob, last week you'd said that you were going to vist the East Neo-Domino Private Academy and see if you could set up an intramural match between us and their Dueling Club."<p>

"Yes I did." Bob cleared his throat, stood up from his chair. "Unfortunately, even after I pointed out that you were the president of our club, they were pretty clear that their dueling was," he started making finger quotes, "too pure to be sullied by the likes of us." He sat back down.

"Yep, that definitely sounds like them." Kaoru said, arms crossed, eyes closed, nodding. "I'm definitely glad that my dad got me out of there as fast as he could." Then he snickered, just like his Dad.

"Well, we all knew it was a long shot to begin with, but we can try again can't we?" Ruka shuffled her papers. "Now then, Tenpei, Patty, you two said that you were going you were going to talk to the principal about getting a card shop on campus."

"We said we were going to do that." Tenpei got up along with Patty. "We explained as best we could, that for a lot of us we're too busy to be able to go down to the card shops in the city, but…"

"The principal was just all," and then Patty started speaking in a faux-deep voice "I appreciate the passion of you young duelists, but in this time of peace it is more important that we focus on preparing you all to work for the best interests of the city." Then she giggled and sat back down, followed by Tenpei who adjusted his collar.

"At least we'll be better prepared for next time." Ruka shuffled her papers again. "Well, with old business now out of the way, I have some new business to introduce." Ruka cleared her throat. "Everyone, we are three days away from the official opening of the Aiolos Bridge between the City and the Satellite, which will make travel a lot easier than it is now. When that day comes, I want us to be ready to go there and bring all the cards we can afford and give them out to as many young people as we can; that way, they'll have much better card pools so that when we set up the first City-Satellite youth tournament, we'll be much closer to being on equal ground."

Silence. Mimi Kaneko stood up. "Not for nothing, but how exactly do you plan on doing that? As you might have noticed, we haven't had the best of luck getting permission or cooperation from others."

Ruka smiled, easy and natural. "That's the beauty of this plan; we don't need anyone's permission to cross the bridge, and we're not going to say anything about any tournament, this is just going to be a gift from Neo-Domino High's Dueling club, right out of our own pockets."

"You're sure they'll take those cards though?" Sly did not get up from his chair, just looked up at Ruka with his one exposed eye. "They've been making do with the trash we've been throwing away for a long time; don't you think the odds are good that they'll reject our gift as an insulting pittance?"

"There probably will be people like that, yes." Ruka remembered the graffiti she saw on her first trip to the Satellite. "But all the same," Ruka remembered the celebration after Jack had defeated Godwin, the children who'd crowded around her and Rua and begged for them to duel them, "I'm sure there will be plenty who will be happy to see us, and we should be honored to do our part to help heal the wounds between us, show everyone that all of us, every one of us can stand together as equals no matter where we come from." Ruka looked everyone over. "Still, that's just me; show of hands everyone, who thinks we should do this?" Despite what they'd said, Mimi and Sly were first to raise their hands, and the others were not far behind. "Thank you very much everyone!" Ruka bowed, and talked with everyone about when they would go to the card shops, what sets they would get, how many starter decks they would pick up, how they would handle transportation across the bridge with all those cards, and by the time they'd worked out all the details, it was time for most all of them to get back home. Ruka stayed behind to clean up and make sure everything was back where it was supposed to be, and…

"I'm here, I'm here!" Rua kicked the door open and ran on in. "Don't start the meeting without me, I just got…" Ruka was just sitting in her chair, looking across the table at Rua, smile on her face.

"Let me guess, you were with Momo Kinimoto?"

Rua rubbed the back of his head. "Actually, it was Sakura Kushinada."

Ruka put her hand on her temples and sighed. "Rua, I don't mind you going on dates, but can you at least try and make it to the club meetings on time?"

"Sorry, sorry, I promise I'll do better from now on." Rua walked up to a chair, turned it around, and sat down with his legs bowed on either side, leaning forward on the backrest. "Still, you can't be too mad at me, right? I mean, Momo's just such a caring person, and Sakura's so fierce, how am I not supposed to go out with them?"

"How indeed? Especially with them looking the way they do."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rua turned his head, but she caught the blush. "They're cute, yeah, but so are lots of girls here."

"But how many of them remind you of her?" Ruka emphasized the last, Rua responded by grumping. "You do know that that's what you're doing, right?"

"Hey, I'm not as dumb a kid as I once was you know." Rua sighed. "You think I'll ever get over her?"

"Hey, you're my brother; it might take you a long time, but you'll pull through." The two smiled together.

* * *

><p>"Don't worry, you're not alone anymore." Aki Izayoi said to a young girl whose pink bangs were covering her eyes. She got down on her knees and put her hands on her shoulders. They were in the lobby of the Arcadia Movement, along with the girl's parents who stood back at a distance, eyeing the various members as they passed through. "Can you tell me your name?"<p>

The girl bit her lip. "…Yasuko Kurosaki." Her hands clenched against her thighs. "My friends…they say that you're a witch, that you only defeated Divine so you could take over the Arcadia Movement."

Aki smiled. "Now now, if I were a witch, how could I resist gobbling you up?" The corners of her mouth jerked up, she covered her mouth and widened her eyes. "People are scared of me, and I do not begrudge them that; though I might have been absolved of my crimes, I did a lot of terrible things as the Black Rose Witch and I have no intention of making any excuses."

"But…how can you…" Yasuko looked back down again, Aki felt the bundles of energy gathering in the girl's shoulders. "Don't you ever get mad at them? Don't you ever want to yell at them that it's not your fault, that you didn't meant to…didn't mean to…" She sniffled, tears dripped down from hidden unseen eyes.

Aki gathered those tears on her finger, wiped them away. "It took me a long time to understand, and I needed the help of many friends to get to that place." She put her hand on Yasuko's head, the child looked up again. "I promise you, no matter how long it takes, we will do everything we can to help get to that place, to where you can love yourself." She blinked several times, reached up to wipe her nose. "You don't need to understand right now, just know that we're here for you now." Aki stood up and walked with her to her parents. They held onto one another, lips tight. "Whenever you want to visit her, just come here; we have nothing to hide."

"We…we'll be sure to call first." The father said.

"Please, understand Yasuko, we do love you, we just…"

"It's okay Mom, Dad, I understand." Her voice was so small. They stood together in silence, and after a while her parents had left. Aki felt Yasuko grab hold of her hand, squeeze tight. Aki used her free hand to pick up Yasuko's suitcase, and walked her to her room. They entered, Aki put the suitcase by the bed while Yasuko sat down on it. Aki pointed to the desk, to the device on it. She sat down at the desk, attached the device to her arm. "Whenever you feel like you can't control your power, and you're not ready to duel someone, you can use this." Aki removed the device from her arm, stood up. "Just remember, you won't need this forever."

Yasuko was lying down on her bed, her eyes were closed and she was curled up. Aki watched her for a while, closed the door gently behind her. She went back down to the lobby, walked through the doors into the courtyard just outside to where the memorial was, an obelisk with the names of all those that she and everyone else in the Arcadia Movement had hurt or killed through their powers, with Divine's name at the very top. She saw Akira, her second-in-command, standing before it, his eyes on Shino's name. "I just found out." He said as she walked up next to him. "Godwin, he'd had her buried, before he'd died; this huge fancy grave with all this stuff about her dedication to the city, nothing specific though, and officially it was an anonymous donor who'd paid for everything." He looked down and sighed, his bangs covered his eyes. "I still wake up in the middle of the night, unable to go back to sleep." He looked up to her. "Do you still think it was the right thing, for you to have saved me back then?"

"Tell me Akira, what have you done with your power since that day?"

He smiled in recognition, this was not the first time she'd asked, this was not the last time he'd answered. "Just a couple of weeks ago, I saw a young man from the Satellite being mugged in an alleyway, so I'd summoned Gem-Knight Crystal, had him pick up the muggers and hold them against the wall. We all stayed there until the Security arrived, and they took the muggers away."

"When the burden you bear drives you to use your power well, somehow it seems less a burden, doesn't it?"

Akira wiped his bangs out of his eyes. "I need to work on remembering that." His smile grew sad, she saw the memory of his sister in his eyes.

"You'll have plenty more opportunities for that in the future; just three more days and the Aiolos Bridge will be open, there will be lots of people coming and going, tempers will flare and altercations will be sparked."

"And when it does, the Arcadia Movement will be there." Akira bowed to Aki. "And I will be there, and I won't let anyone down, least of all myself." After a moment he left, returning to the Arcadia Movement headquarters. Aki stayed at the memorial, read over all the names.

Her cellphone rang, she looked at who it was. "Hello Mom; how's your day been?"

"Busy as always Aki; you would not believe our ability to put off important legislation to the very last second."

"I can't even imagine how bad it would be without you there."

"Flatter me all you want, it won't get you favorable legislation." Aki heard laughter from the receiver, and replied with laughter of her own. "So, will you be there, three days from now?"

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world." Her mother said goodbye, Aki closed up her phone, and returned to the home that she'd made with her power.

* * *

><p>"In order to find the definite integral…of the cosign…" Yusei Fudou muttered into his book, eyes drooping and posture slumped.<p>

"Like Father, like Son." He heard his mother say, so he looked up and there she was. She yawned, covered her mouth with one hand while the other was busy supporting a stack of books.

"I think some of you made it in here." He smiled and closed the calculus text he'd been poring over. "Anything to report on the Momentum Generator?"

"It continues to grow, same as always." Miyuki put down her books and sat down next to him. "At the current rate, we'll have enough power to connect to Rashoman Village in…" She got a small smile on her face. "Actually, why don't you figure that out?" She took out her PDA, made some inputs, and handed it to him. "Here's all the raw data you'll need."

Yusei went over the figure his mother had provided him with, checked his books, derived the functions, double-checked his books, corrected his mistakes, and shortly thereafter presented his mother with his solution. "I imagine you were able to do this in your head."

Miyuki smiled as she went over his work. "I had very good tutors growing up, along with a host of other advantages, and this is only your fourth year of formal education, yes?" She handed his work back to him, put away her PDA. "You've made excellent progress."

"Don't forget, Martha let me read all the books she had and tutored me whenever she had the time." He sighed in reminiscence. "How much longer until the Aiolos Bridge is open?"

"Three days Yusei; you really have been cooped up in here, haven't you?" She reached over and rubbed his hair, only to withdraw it a moment later. "Would it be too stereotypical of me to ask when you'd last taken a shower?"

Yusei reached up and felt at his own hair. "So long as you don't ask me about my eating habits, I think we'll be fine."

Miyuki sighed, rubbed her temples. "If people were to find out that one of the City's heroes was in this condition…"

"Then they'd just say that my heritage as a piece of Satellite Scum was shining through." Yusei smirked, stood up. "I've faced worse than that, and I'll continue to face worse."

Miyuki stood up. "Now I'm sure you're my son."

They hugged, parted. Yusei returned to his apartment, took a shower, fixed himself the most nutrient rich food he could, and spent the next three days making sure that his D-Wheel was in working condition.

* * *

><p>"About time you got here." Jack said as Yusei pulled in. "Ruka and Rua were here with their friends from the Dueling Club with briefcases full of cards for all the Satellite Orphans, and Aki and several members of the Arcadia Movement are probably halfway across the bridge by now, looking for prospective new members they can help."<p>

"So I'm late is what you're saying?" Yusei and Jack looked over at the steady flow of traffic across the stately Aiolos Bridge; there were three levels to the bridge, one for regular commuters, one for commercial traffic, and one for riding duels.

"That's right, so we better hurry up before we get left behind entirely." Jack revved his D-Wheel.

"Didn't you say something about not wanting to duel me until after you'd defeated Aki?"

"Nah, if I wait until then I might never get around to dueling you…and besides which, do a pair of brats from the Satellite need an excuse to face off with their cards?"

"I don't know, I wouldn't call us brats or kids or the like anymore."

"Look, we're going to go visit Martha, and we're going to duel along the way until we hit the other side."

"Any prize for the winner?"

"Nope."

"So this is just like old times." The past was another country, you couldn't go home again, but you could bring a piece with you wherever you went. Yusei revved his D-Wheel, they waited for a lull in the traffic, and then…

"DUEL START!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> And with that, my Yugioh 5Ds fanfic is finished, and there was a goodly time period in which I didn't think that would happen; I had all these scenes and images and moments in my mind, but I couldn't get to them to get to my fingers and onto the screen. There were moments when I was going to declare the fic dead and just move on, and I don't know about you, but I'm very happy that I recovered my inspiration and was able to get this story out into the world.

First thing's first, I would like to express my appreciation for all those who took the time to read the story, and double that appreciation goes to those who took the time to review the story. Second, if there are any scenes you would like to see covered, please let me know and I will see to it that I write a chapter for it in the side-stories part of the fic.

Third and most notably, I will be following this up with a ZeXal fic in the same vein. It will be a while before I start posting anything, I want to get at least five or six chapters written out first, I figure I should have that ready no later than than New Years. See you then!


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